


Thrown to the Wind

by FaultyParagon



Series: RWBY AUs [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Real World, Athletes, Convenience Stores, Dorms, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Halloween Costumes, Pyrrha Nikos-centric, Renora, Romance, Ruby shouldn't be allowed to try pot, Varsity Athletes, arkos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2020-08-11 19:29:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 26,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20158870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaultyParagon/pseuds/FaultyParagon
Summary: AU. Pyrrha is on a full-ride for varsity track, the poster child for the university. She really shouldn't be buying junk food every day from shady convenience stores far from the dorms- but there's just the cutest blond who keeps falling apart on the night shift, and whenever she buys chocolate from him he smiles, so… yeah. Late nights and junk food and baby-blue eyes it is.Arkos.





	1. Accident

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a challenge fic I wrote earlier this summer. It is 26 chapters, and each chapter is 1000 words, using randomly-generated alphabetical prompts.

Thrown to the Wind

**Accident**

It all started with poor timing, a box of cereal, and the gullible, easily-corrupted mind of Ruby Rose.

The tram which ran through campus, allowing students to jump on and off wherever they needed for the sweet, sweet price of free (although maintenance costs were surely hidden somewhere within their student fees- who really knew?), was nowhere to be seen. While this normally wouldn't be a problem for most students, Pyrrha Nikos was very much alone by the track on the outskirts of Beacon University without a ride home, and it was _dark_.

She was exhausted. Every single muscle in her body ached. And whoever had thought it was a smart idea to house the entire track team in the residences farthest away from the track itself needed to be fired. However, in the darkness of a Friday night, the redhead just wanted to be past the Great War Memorial before the drunkards came out to play. The moment she passed the giant statue of the university's founders, she'd be in the clear. _I just have to get to the other side._

So, she shouldered her bag, straightened her back, and began the forty-five minute walk home along Main Avenue, keeping her pace brisk. At least she was still wearing her workout clothes- it made it far easier for her to break into a half-jog anytime she saw a concerning shadow in the bushes.

Unfortunately, returning home late on a Friday night meant only one thing; she had missed her opportunity to avoid the resident partygoers. The moment the elevator finally dinged onto the seventh floor of her building, the sound of (less-than-sober) laughter hit her ears. _I suppose it's a rest day tomorrow, so it could be worse, _she pondered wryly. _Might as well say hello. _They'd never let her hear the end of it if she didn't.

Inside of their shared lounge, a group of her housemates were huddled on the couches. At first glance, they looked innocent enough- just a few bags of chips, some soda, and a mysterious loaf of plain white bread on the table. As the redhead dumped her bag in a corner and undid her long, tightly-wound ponytail, however, she saw at last what the group was circled around- a small Tupperware container of chocolate brownies. Pyrrha knew better.

She propped a hand on her hip, shaking her head at the guilty smiles shining up at her. There was only one person who refused to look up at her arrival- little Ruby Rose, the youngest person in their tight-knit community. "Where's Yang? Weiss? Who allowed Ruby to eat pot brownies? You know she's too nervous for it."

The girl in question shuddered quietly, eyes bloodshot and hands jittery as they clung onto a pillow. "I want cereal," the girl pouted, fidgeting incessantly in her corner of the couch.

Blake wrapped an arm around Ruby's shoulder. "Yang's at the frats, Weiss went home to daddy, and I'm not moving," she hummed happily, already drifting off in her own little world thanks to the treats she always supplied.

As Ruby repeated her demands, Blake listening-but-not-hearing by her side, Pyrrha was tackled from behind by familiar arms. "Pyrrha!" Nora squealed.

Pyrrha chuckled, untangling herself from her roommate. "Hey, I just got back from practice."

The shorter girl crinkled her nose. She was already dressed in her pyjamas, headphones slung around her neck. Leaning around Pyrrha to stare at the numbed-out crew lurking on the couches, she rolled her eyes, grinning evilly. "So who's the virgin this time?"

Pyrrha jabbed her thumb at the tiny brunette in the corner, who by now was poking Yatsuhashi's shoulder fervently, muttering, "I want some cereal. _Pumpkin Pete's. _Who has any?" When no one responded, the pale-eyed girl turned to look at Pyrrha with woeful, frantic eyes. "Pyrrha, _please _tell me you have some."

Nora's hand shot up. "Nope, but we can totally go buy some. I'll grab Ren! He just finished his assignment, he can come!"

Pyrrha chuckled and nodded, picking up her bag and waving goodbye to the crew. It wasn't the first time Blake's victims had sent her on a snack run- and, she thought wistfully, it likely wouldn't be the last.

Nora hijacked her exhausted mathematician boyfriend from his room, dragging him away from his proofs while Pyrrha grabbed a five-minute shower and put on some proper clothes. Soon, the trio had left the building, heading out of the campus grounds towards the nearby city of Vale.

She traded an exasperated look with Ren as Nora began to ramble about her day almost immediately. Pyrrha didn't mind. Her roommate for the past two years, Nora was like a sister to her. Where Pyrrha was quiet, Nora filled the air comfortably- so, as they meandered down the road away from distant echoes of frat houses and parties happening around central campus, the shorter girl amiably chattered away with her arms looped through the redhead's and her boyfriend's arms.

Their search was almost in vain. No matter how many late-night convenience stores they checked, there was no sign of the cereal anywhere. As Nora chatted and Ren hummed absently in encouragement, the redhead merely tuned it all out, focusing on her plans for after their errand. She had a few readings to do, plus a couple of reflections- _I suppose that's what Saturday is for- Sunday is weight training. _

It was in Generic Corner Store #7 that Pyrrha found herself stopped in her tracks, eyes affixed to the boy working the cash register while Nora and Ren breezed past. With shaggy blond hair, a small pout, fair skin, and the bluest eyes she had ever seen, his silhouette, outlined by the unnatural neon glow of a nacho cheese dispenser, made her heart race. She stepped back, face flushed, watching him concentrate adorably on a Sudoku puzzle in a ratty newspaper.

_Please don't make me talk to him. Please don't tell me they have cereal. _And of course, they did.


	2. Blessed

**Blessed**

Nora found _Pumpkin Pete's, _although Pyrrha could only roll her eyes, groaning when she saw the box's design. Nora held it up like a trophy, cheering in the tiny, smoke-stained aisle. "Look who's on the box!"

"It's not that impressive," Pyrrha insisted, but Nora only waved Pyrrha's picture on the back in her face. The local brand had decided to showcase the up-and-coming 'stars of the community', so Pyrrha's determined expression, javelin in hand, was immortalized on the side of marshmallow flakes forever.

"You say that, but you're on a _cereal box, _Pyrrha," the girl giggled, showing the box proudly to Ren, who only smiled wearily, grabbing another energy drink to get him through another long night of studying.

Pyrrha ignored her friend, eyes locked on the cashier. He hunched over on a high stool, furiously erasing pencil marks off his puzzle, tongue stuck out slightly in concentration. Before she even knew it, the redhead wandered over to the counter.

At her approach, he pushed the newspaper to the side, flipping long bangs out of his eyes. Raising his face to meet hers, she saw the most dazzling smile. "Hey, what'll it be?"

Suddenly, a wave of panic washed over her. She felt utterly inadequate- there wasn't a trace of makeup on her, long hair tied back in a clumsy, loose braid while it dried, bangs pinned up to exposed her acne-ridden forehead. _This cannot be happening right now. _Eyes frantically jumping around the counter, she reached down and grabbed a chocolate bar, dropping it onto the counter hastily.

Yet, he didn't mock her awkwardness. Instead, she heard a light, happy chuckle, barely audible over the obnoxiously-whirring metal fan pointed down at them from a nearby cabinet and the blaring 90's soft rock on the tinny radio. "That stuff's so good- nice choice," the boy said merrily, scanning it without hesitation.

She spluttered, reaching into the pockets of her hoodie. Yanking out a fiver, she handed him the money, nearly jumping backwards when their hands touched, a bolt of electricity shooting straight down her spine.

Apparently, the blond felt it too- however, he merely looked down at the stool he sat on and muttered, "Dang static," before picking up her money and punching open the register.

Pyrrha very quickly learned that this boy was far clumsier than he appeared. He dropped her change a grand total of five times while trying to get it sorted- he accidentally scanned the barcode for the bar twice, ending up with a pricey bill. He completely dropped only two coins though, and she almost praised him until she realized he was probably her age, and not looking for condescending (however well-intended) remarks from customers as he worked his minimum wage graveyard shift. So, she bit her lip and concentrated on just breathing in, out- _1, 2-_

_Pretend it's a meet, Pyrrha. Pretend you're on the field. _Immediately, her body knew how to respond, heart settling down right away.

"Oh, oops! Sorry about that," the boy cried, his flustered voice breaking her concentration immediately. She almost pulled her hood over her head to hide the pink in her cheeks. Under the garish, flickering yellow lights, her blush probably just made her look splotchy. Dread filled her at the thought.

Her phone buzzed. While the blond counted her change for the seventh time, Pyrrha opened the newest message, relaxing slightly when she saw a photo of Ruby lying peacefully on the grass outside of their dorm. _She's waiting for you all! _read the caption. She could see the toe of Coco's boots by Ruby's feet, and Sun, a self-proclaimed 'fun RA' was amusedly looking out of the window at the girl.

Finally, Nora walked up, towing Ren with her, arms laden with numerous snacks, energy drinks, and sticky notes, along with the singular box of _Pumpkin Pete's _marshmallow flakes. She dumped her haul onto the counter, nodding victoriously as Ren pulled out his debit card. Ren stood like a zombie to the side, eyes glazed over, clearly still trying to work out his latest matrix problem. Nora leaned against him, humming happily.

The blond handed Pyrrha the change from her chocolate bar. The redhead pocketed it, along with her new treat. Pyrrha grinned, watching Nora and Ren's intimacy as the blond immediately freaked out at the million items he now had to scan. In any other situation, she might have felt uncomfortable watching the boyfriend flash his card instantly for the girlfriend's purchases, but Ren and Nora weren't any normal couple, and she loved them for it.

At last, he scanned the cereal box, his eyes passing right over her photograph. She winced- normally when people saw her, they'd strike up a conversation, being sickeningly sweet. She didn't want that. It was nearly midnight on Friday, she was still exhausted from her late-night workout, and she looked like such a mess-

The blond said nothing. He just scanned the cereal, looked her in the eye, and asked, "Do you want a bag for this?"

She gawped at him momentarily before shaking her head. With that dazzling grin he wore so well, he handed her the box and passed off the other bags to Nora and Ren.

Pyrrha held her breath for a total of fifteen dazed seconds leaving the store before the clapping of sneakers on pavement caught her attention. The blond was chasing after them, holding out one bag Nora had forgotten. "Here's your stuff!" he huffed, reaching them at the corner of the street.

Ren blinked slowly. "Don't you need to watch the store," he murmured, leaning forward to read the boy's nametag, "…Jane?"

The blond yelped, huffing, straightening up completely, and Pyrrha was breathless once more. When standing upright, he was taller than her, broad-shouldered and strong, despite his questionable fashion sense underneath the store apron.

Nora took the bag and laughed heartily as he sprinted clumsily back to work. Pyrrha pulled her hood up to hide nearly-glowing cheeks. Unlike Ren, she read the nametag properly.

_Jaune._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	3. Country

**Country**

"Pyrrha! Where's your head at? Keep going!" Glynda Goodwitch, the coach for the women's track team, called for the umpteenth time that day. Pyrrha winced, throwing herself back into another lap down the aquatic centre's swimming pool.

The pool was quiet on that Sunday morning. The day was going to be given to strength training, and she was already dreading having to be under the woman's watchful gaze. All of her peers giggled every time Glynda called her out for her airheaded behaviour, trading knowing glances, tittering quietly. They knew why Pyrrha kept sighing relentlessly. Nora's videos of her sighing dreamily while doing her homework all through Saturday's study session had been already circulated around the entire varsity team, and they _lived _for the gossip.

Pyrrha Nikos, a contender to represent their country in the next Summer Olympics, the pride of their team and their ace for every track meet in the javelin throw, had fallen in love.

The redhead blushed as dark as her hair as she thought back to the boy in the convenience store. It couldn't be _love, _could it? That word didn't belong to her- she was someone who didn't 'fall in love'. She had a dream to achieve. Being an athlete, bringing victory to her homeland and her family- that was all she had ever wanted in her life.

Yet, she couldn't deny how her thoughts kept drifting off to the blond every single time Glynda stopped speaking. She could still recall the heat of his hand, the shy, embarrassed way he had flipped his hair. She just didn't know what to do- how could she, when this was the first time she had ever felt like this about anyone?

Nora had made fun of her the entire day before. "You don't even know anything about him!" the orange-haired girl had cackled over and over again, cheerfully working on a play analysis she needed to finish for a required class for her theatre major. "Was he really _that _perfect?"

And Pyrrha had spluttered and scoffed, because it totally wasn't true- she _did _know about the blond. Enough, at least. He was sweet and welcoming and polite; he wasn't very good at Sudoku puzzles, based on the quick glance she had given his puzzle while he had struggled to finish scanning Nora's items; he was terminally clumsy in every way; he pouted when he was confused or concentrating; and he was still tall and strong and Pyrrha wanted to brush those blond locks out of his eyes, just as blue and wide as the sky she loved running under every morning during practice.

And, most importantly, he had no idea who Pyrrha was.

Without any recognition from him, that meant that Pyrrha actually had a chance to get to _know _him. Ever since she had come to Beacon two years earlier, every single class, frat or house party, club event, and sporting meet was full of people who _knew too much. _They always asked her for tips, or pointers, or her least favourite question of all- _How do you have enough time to study _and _train, if you're going to be an Olympian? _

It was so obnoxious. So to walk into that corner store as a purely anonymous figure was so refreshing that she wanted to hold onto that freedom forever.

Glynda's whistle finally blew. "Ten minutes, then meet in the weight room!" the woman called, marking down notes sternly on her clipboard. Before Pyrrha could leave with the rest of her team, however, the woman called, "Pyrrha, a word."

With a heavy sigh, the redhead pulled herself out of the water, shuffling over as quickly as she could on the slippery tile without tripping. "What is it, coach?" she asked lightly, feigning innocence.

The blonde woman was having none of it. "What's going on with you today, Pyrrha?" Glynda asked gently. "You're out of it. We're almost at our first meet of the year."

The redhead shook her head, pulling off her swimming cap wearily. "I know," she replied glumly. "I… I'm just…"

Dark, wise eyes softened. "Are you worried about… midterms?"

Mutely, the redhead nodded. Midterms. Definitely a concern in the middle of… September? "Yup."

A lie, and they both knew it. Who cared about midterms barely three weeks into the new term? But thankfully, her coach didn't press the issue. "Keep your studies up, Pyrrha- but don't slack off. When you're here, you need to be _here._"

"Of course," the redhead agreed.

"You're Pyrrha Nikos. We believe in you." Smiling encouragingly at the girl, Glynda nodded her head over to the change rooms. "Go on, go dry off. You have," she checked her watch, "six minutes to be in the weight room."

Pyrrha straightened her shoulders, looking down at the coach confidently at the sound of her full name. Her coach was right. She needed to get focused on the task at hand, and that task definitely did _not _involve cute cashiers who couldn't count change to save their lives.

But the moment practice ended that day, her mind was circling back where it had been before. When it came time to sit in Doctor Oobleck's class on Monday (another student had called him 'Professor' once and the man had _destroyed _him so politely that Pyrrha was always careful about the distinction) and discuss the impact of intersectionality on working-class women in marginalized communities after the Great War, the only thing she could think of was blue eyes and broad shoulders and hands that were warm and clumsy, so unlike her own. The doctor only scolded her once that day for not paying attention. It wasn't the last time that day she was caught with stars in her eyes, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	4. Destinations

**Destinations**

After a week of pining for an afterimage, enough was enough. It was Friday night- the usual gang of ne'er-do-wells had already run off into the distance. Five-Lien beer pitchers in the commons just past the amphitheatre had that effect on everyone still around every second Friday night.

She wasn't dressing up for him, Pyrrha told herself. There was no reason why she wanted to triple-check her makeup, why she wanted to ensure her clothes were cute. There was no reason she kept fussing before every reflective surface in Ren's room while waiting for Nora to throw on a dirty hoodie and mess up her hair. "It's to make you look extra-good compared to me, silly!" Nora kept insisting. "If I look _real _bad, then you'll look amazing! He'll have to go for you!"

It sounded ridiculous in the moment, but the thought of the blond boy looking at her again sent her stomach in knots, nervous excitement bubbling in her throat. "That… would be grand," she murmured lowly.

Ren, who (of course) was privy to the entire situation as he scribbled frantically on grid paper, merely reached up a hand and patted her comfortingly on the back. "It'll work out," he said distantly.

Pyrrha grinned. If even the quiet boy believed in her, then maybe she really did have a chance. Her suddenly-uplifted spirit fell again promptly though, as the boy's eyes remained locked onto his computer. _Maybe not, after all._

The night was still surprisingly warm for having almost turned the corner into autumn. As they left, it was perfect timing that they received a lovely, practically incomprehensible message from Velvet, the sweet girl asking for some acetaminophen and some more cereal for their floormates- apparently something had gone sour at the event between Neptune, one of their other RAs, and Weiss, who had been vying for his affections ever since the smooth-talking fourth year had begun working in their building. Pyrrha merely sighed, looping an arm through Nora's as her excited friend immediately began speculating about what had happened.

It was for that very reason that she felt unsure about reaching out for the blond. What if something went wrong? She gulped. Even worse, what if something went _right?_

The walk felt both far longer and far shorter than she remembered. Sometime during their hunt the week before, they had missed the fact that this particular store was in a shadier part of town, and that they really shouldn't have been walking by themselves in the middle of the night. Pyrrha hurried along as she saw figures peering out of dank alleys lining main roads as they headed further into Vale, almost wishing she had taken the route through the club district instead of this quieter area. At least in the midst of clubs, bouncers and partygoers would be witnesses if trouble found them.

Thankfully, they arrived at their destination with little incident. The fan was just as loud as Pyrrha remembered, doing little to cool down sickeningly-muggy air. She briefly let her eyes wander over to the back freezers, wondering whether the ice cream within was frozen, or if they were just as ineffective as the air conditioning unit that wheezed pitifully in the corner of the store. There was not a soul in sight, other than the mop of blond that had become so familiar through its infinite reappearances in her daydreams.

Pyrrha blinked, a little disgruntled. The blond wore the same clothes underneath the same ratty apron- an ill-fitted hoodie with short sleeves, baggy jeans that seemed worse for wear, fingerless gloves that seemed pointless in the already-humid store. If his shoes had been visible from behind the counter, she'd have bet they were the same ratty sneakers, too. With his appearance, combined with the dingy room and the fact that it still smelled of urine and smoke and _mistakes _right outside of the entrance, she would have sworn that time had somehow stopped in the little convenience store.

But things were different, after all. Laying on the counter in front of him this time wasn't a Sudoku- instead, it was a thick comic book, the art style popping off the page even as Pyrrha's skewed angle. And, when his eyes lifted off the page at the tinkle of the bell above the store entrance when she walked in, she could see the awful bruise swelling the side of his cheek.

God, how she wanted to reach out and caress the blue-purple pain on his face. Instead, she simply nodded politely and made a beeline for the back, grabbing the cereal while Nora giggled and grabbed medicine. The orange-haired girl sidled up to her as they walked to the counter, murmuring, "Do you wanna buy him some painkillers, too? It'd be cute."

"No!" Pyrrha squeaked. "That's too much, isn't it?" But she couldn't deny how her fingers itched to grab a cold compress and some anti-inflammatory gel for him.

The boy smiled weakly when she finally approached the counter, avoiding his gaze guiltily. "It looks bad, huh?"

Her eyes shot up, and she tried to stammer out an answer, but instead, she saw a small bar of chocolate sitting on top of the cereal box. Pyrrha frowned as he scanned the cereal. "Wait, I didn't-"

"That's the brand you bought last week, right?" the boy asked.

She blinked at him. "Um… well, yes, it is." The previous chocolate bar still sat on her desk, occupying an honorary space on top of her Wi-Fi router.

"Then, it's on me. _Someone _needs to enjoy Friday night," he added after a moment, chuckling ruefully.

She just stared at him in shock as he quietly bagged her now-three items.

"What happened…?" she whispered.

"Have a great night."

She took her bag. "You too… Jaune," she called over her shoulder before she bolted out of the store to meet up with Nora. She didn't miss his shocked look when he heard his name from her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	5. Explicit

**Explicit**

"…Why are you coming to this store?"

The question left her floundering. How could she possibly answer that?

But the blond wouldn't budge, gaze hard and cold and frustrated as he slammed down her chocolate bar onto the counter. It was the third time she had come to this store. It had been an impulse visit this time- she hadn't expected him to be there on Saturday night shifts, too, but after the night before, she had been too worried to sleep properly.

Who had hurt him like that?

"No reason," she murmured, avoiding eye contact. _You. It's you. I wanted to see you._

But she couldn't just say that. Nor could she say anything about the contents of her backpack- about the painkillers, the small heating pad, the aloe gel. The bruise on his cheek had begun to heal, turning bluish-green around the edge, but it clearly still ached- he flinched anytime he accidentally brushed the injury when pushing hair out of his eyes.

Nora had laughed relentlessly when she saw Pyrrha leaving earlier. "I don't think you can justify going to see him just to buy chocolate," she had giggled. "Like, there's a million-and-one better stores to buy generic chocolate from. And if he hasn't figured out who you are yet, then he'll figure it out soon enough for sure." Her eyes had filled with sympathy. "And… to be honest, Pyrrha, I'm not sure if he's a good enough guy to suffer for if he ends up being… y'know…"

_If he's not a good person. _The thought had crossed Pyrrha's mind countless times already. What would she do if he actually was an awful person? What if he didn't actually go to school, like she thought he did? What if he was a murderer? What if his clumsiness was all just an act, trying to lull her into a sense of security?

_Before doing what? What could his 'master plan' be? _It was a stupid thought, but the idea kept percolating in the back of her mind, and she just couldn't shake the feeling that he was… just too good to be true.

At least Nora had agreed- he was cute, 'in a generic sort of way'. Pyrrha couldn't explain why she was so smitten.

The entire floor by that point knew about her little crush. Everyone cooed over how the unflappable Pyrrha Nikos, the one woman who could not be taken down by the sweet seduction of any of the most attractive boys on campus or in varsity, had fallen in love with some cashier.

Yang had murmured, "You know good ol' Glynda wouldn't be too happy to hear that you've been distracted all week because of a _boy_."

"It's like Romeo and Juliet! Forbidden, star-crossed lovers!" Ruby had squealed excitedly, using the gossip as the perfect excuse to neglect her opened textbook.

Weiss had just rolled her eyes as she typed away on her laptop, working on a paper. "It'll only be a Montague-versus-Capulet situation if he goes to like… Haven U or something." Slamming her phone onto the table, she cried, "Oh my god, he's not from Haven, right?"

And Nora had butt in and cried, "Who cares? Pyrrha can just distract the enemy _while_ she _gets it-"_

Pyrrha had shouldered her bag and _bolted _at that, tucking her hands into her varsity jacket and jogging down the hall.

"At least, buy something you'll actually eat! They've gotta have like, nuts or something!" Nora had called after Pyrrha.

The redhead had almost made it out of the building unseen. Unfortunately, fate could never be too kind. She had somehow managed to run into her least favourite resident in the building as she reached the side door. "Ooh, where's little Miss Nikos going, hm?" the grey-haired boy had crooned, holding the door open chivalrously for her as she passed.

And she had sighed, pulling out the most polite smile she could to hide the contempt in her heart. Straightening her shoulders, she had looked level into Mercury Black's dark eyes, ignoring the leer always lingering on his lips. "Enjoy your night, Mercury," she said, ducking under the arm he held out to block her way.

The boy's voice had carried through the residence commons. "Be safe, Pyrrha! Don't talk to strangers!" And his voice had been filled with snide contempt and predatory undertones through the thin veneer of friendliness, and Pyrrha had rolled her eyes and shuddered, trying to wipe the sick unease that his presence always caused from her mind.

If the blond boy who stood in front of her acted like Mercury, Pyrrha might've been uncomfortable. But he wasn't- he just stared at her from across the counter with the most confused, concerned expression.

She asked quietly, "What's your favourite chocolate?"

He frowned, but after she refused to pull out her card to pay at the waiting debit machine, he pointed mutely at a little milk chocolate brand in the corner. Nodding, Pyrrha grabbed one, adding it to her pile. The blond silently scanned it, and she finally paid properly at the machine. Then, she took a deep breath in, out- _1, 2-_

And she opened up her bag, removed the supplies she had brought for him, and put her chocolate bar inside. She placed his favourite one on top of the pile and gently pushed it towards him.

The blond frowned, utterly baffled. "Um…"

"I'm not going to ask what happened," she murmured at last. "If you want to talk, I'll gladly listen. But… until then…" She smiled shyly at him. "I had a good Friday night, thanks to you. I thought I should return the favour- you _have_ to enjoy your Saturday now, okay?"

He blinked long and slow, taking in what she had brought with a critical eye, making no move to reach for it.

_I shouldn't have done this._

But then, his face exploded into the most tender smile, and she knew it was all worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	6. Flour

**Flour**

"Pyrrha, you _don't understand. _We have a _pancake griddle!" _Nora shook her shoulders, making the redhead's head flop back and forth.

And Pyrrha merely laughed, giving the girl a quick hug so that Nora's excitement could somehow pass over to her. "That's wonderful. But tell me again- why can't you just eat the ones in the caf?"

"Be-_cause,_" the orange-haired girl groaned exaggeratedly, "those ones are so boring! And they only serve them at breakfast time. Who only wants breakfast food at breakfast time?"

In unison, Ren and Pyrrha murmured, "Only _heathens _don't like all-day breakfast," and Nora propped her hands on her hips and nodded triumphantly. This wasn't the first time they had heard the girl's stance on ideal meals, and it wouldn't be the last.

"So," she continued, "now we can make them all the time! Well," she paused, mournfully pouting, "I suppose you can't, Pyrrha. You're only allowed to be muscly-thick, otherwise Glynda will yell at you, right?"

"Oh my goodness," Pyrrha blushed, covering her face as her roommate slapped her thighs playfully.

"It's a complement! So many c's in that word, Pyrrha."

"Ren, stop her," the redhead groaned, collapsing back onto her bed. The boy complied, handing his girlfriend her smoothie to distract her momentarily. Taking the bait, the orange-haired girl chugged away at the strawberry-banana-chia-kale concoction happily.

Uncovering her face at last, Pyrrha grabbed a pillow, tucking it under her head. Snuggling into it, she pondered, staring up at the ceiling, "How're you going to avoid getting caught, though?"

Nora replied, "I'll clean the area under my bed and hang a curtain." She pointed to the adjustable bed, the settings currently lifting the bed a few feet off the ground- just enough space to store boxes and suitcases and other nonsense. If the bed was raised all the way, though, it could easily fit people sitting around a griddle.

She heard Ren mutter, "You know if you hang a curtain, people are going to try and see behind it."

Nora immediately cackled, "I'll tell people to back off from our love-nest, and no one will look!"

That made even the redhead chuckle. Leave it to Nora to come up with something as absurd as that. "Well, as long as Sun doesn't catch you. It's technically not allowed."

Ren, who had been quietly removing Nora's boxes from underneath her bed, looked up. "It's not like we can use it right away," he explained. "Where are we getting batter from?"

Immediately, Nora leapt over to the redhead, grabbing her hand and raising it high. "We wait for nightfall!" Nora cried deviously. "And then, we shall set out! Ooh, mission time."

The redhead sat up, pulling her hand back. Tightening her ponytail, Pyrrha asked, "Where are we getting it from? If it's today, then we should probably head out soon." All the supermarkets closed fairly early on Sunday nights, after all.

The shorter girl shook her head, grinning evilly. "What are you talking about?" she scoffed. "We're not going to the _supermarket, _duh. Save up your change 'cause we're going to be _lurking_ from now on." The sinking feeling in Pyrrha's gut was only exacerbated by Nora's next clarification for Ren. "We're going to visit her _boyfriend, _Jaune!"

"I thought his name was Jane," was all Ren muttered in response, stacking boxes in a corner of the room so that the wall outlet was still free to plug the griddle into.

"You were half-asleep, silly," Nora teased. Turning back to Pyrrha, she held her arms out expectantly. "So? Are you gonna dress cute, or what?"

The redhead wanted to protest. It was Sunday night, she had a 7AM practice the next day, she still was sore from earlier strength training, and she still had an online quiz to finish before her lecture with Professor Peach. And after she had handed off her first-aid supplies to the blond, and his smile had almost brought her to her knees, and he had warmly thanked her in that clumsy, doltish way of his, she hadn't exactly stayed to have a full conversation- instead, she had very proudly and bravely _run away, _face red and heart racing, the blond's face forever engraved behind her eyelids.

So, of course, she obediently clambered to her feet and opened up her closet, glumly trying to find clothes that balanced 'good fashion sense' and 'I'm-not-trying-hard-so-you-notice-me-but-_please-notice-me'. _

The outfit was settled upon fairly quickly, and they were out the door by the time darkness began to fall, thanks to Nora's authoritative nature. When the girl wanted to accomplish something, she got it done quickly. It was sort of terrifying, what the shorter girl was capable of.

Their escape was much smoother than the night before. They headed over to the store early enough to avoid the seedier crowd, too. Pyrrha paced along the side street outside, teeth tugging her lip anxiously until Nora finally huffed, physically pushing the taller girl into the store. Nora immediately scurried to where the breakfast foods were, announcing excitedly when she found her favourite cheapo pancake mix and syrup. "There's another box of _Pumpkin Pete's _with you, too!" the shorter girl hollered.

Pyrrha winced, wandering embarrassedly up to the counter. "…Three days in a row, huh?"

"Hey," Jaune teased, smile wry and kind under the nicely-healing bruise, "at least I'm making money off of being in this dump."

"Well, you're not wrong about that," she giggled, clasping her hands in front of her shyly. The quiet camaraderie between the two was quickly spoiled, however, as Nora ran up, arms laden with goodies and- much to Pyrrha's chagrin- the offending box of cereal. This time, however, the shorter girl ensured Pyrrha's picture faced the cashier. And, unlike the last time, Pyrrha was wearing makeup, her hair was done nicely, and she looked a lot better than the bedraggled mess she had been during the last cereal purchase.

His eyes widened, snapping between the box and her face. "Wait- no way," he breathed. "Is that _you?"_

_Oh no._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	7. Goals

**Goals**

So. This wasn't what she had been expecting.

Normally, when people found out about her athleticism, they would automatically begin interrogating her about her life story. It oftentimes grew so invasive that Pyrrha _hated _talking about her sport, despite it being her greatest passion in life. She just wanted to compete; feel the wind in her hair, the weight of her favourite javelin in hand. Why did that mean her life was fair game to be critiqued, picked apart?

This was different. His blue eyes practically sparkled. How they looked so vibrant and innocent and _pure _underneath flickering LEDs, she didn't know. He leaned his elbows onto the counter, chin in hand, looking up at her in such shock and amazement. "Only really cool people get on _Pumpkin Pete's,_" he said adoringly. "That's _awesome_."

"She's cute, huh?" Nora quipped, proudly smacking her roommate's arm.

"Nora!" Pyrrha hissed, flashing the blond an awkward smile before training her eyes on the nacho cheese dispenser behind him. The machine was making a weird, low grumbling sound. _Focus on that. Breathe. It'll be fine, it'll be fi-_

And then, her ears tuned back into the conversation happening at her side while she had been dazing off. Nora was chattering happily, "I present to you: Pyrrha Nikos, 20, 5'11", currently single, varsity javelin thrower at Beacon U. Totally single. Totally cute. Best girlfriend material. How 'bout you? What's your story, blondie?"

The redhead may as well have had an apoplexy on the spot, as she practically screeched, "_Nora!" _She hastily turned to the blond, shaking a hand embarrassedly. "Ignore her, for she-"

But Nora persisted as the blond merely scanned the items Nora had brought up one by one with clumsy, fumbling movements. "So like, Jaune, right? You in school? What's your life about?"

Thankfully, the boy good-naturedly (or maybe just densely, if Pyrrha was right) laughed and continued hunting for the barcode on Nora's third bottle of table syrup. "I'm in Beacon, yeah. Creative writing."

"And how do you have time to do all of these shifts?" the orange-haired girl pressed, ignoring how Pyrrha insistently tugged at her sleeve, wishing to turn invisible. Now, the nacho machine was _really _making weird noises, whirring and buzzing and- wait, was it _vibrating _on the counter?

Jaune shrugged, totally unaware of what was going on behind him. "Tuition's the worst, and I've got a lot of siblings who need the money more." Bagging the last item, he said, "I don't know if you've noticed, but," he waved a carefree hand at the empty store, "it's not exactly busy. Why else would I put up with so many weekend shifts?"

Nora hummed, still unconvinced. "Hmm. Alright, bub. You're cool for now. We'll be back." Picking up her bags, Nora suddenly grabbed Jaune's wrist. "You got a girlfriend? Boyfriend? Person-friend?"

The blond blinked at her. "Um… nope. People don't exactly go for guys like me."

Nora nodded. "Okay. What's the bruise about? You in trouble? You in a gang-"

"-And I think that's enough, Nora!" Pyrrha shrilled, taking the bag with the cereal from her hand. Waving to Jaune, she squeaked, "Enjoy your night! We gotta get back to campus!"

And the blond nodded, waving back, still baffled by the interrogation. "Campus is pretty far. Be safe!" After a second, he added, "Enjoy your cereal, Pyrrha!"

And Pyrrha flushed and nodded, hauling Nora out as soon as possible. As they left, the shorter called, "Watch out for the cheese machine! I think it's gonna explode?"

They were answered with a terrified yelp. The orange-haired girl merely grinned viciously as they walked past the doors, fist-pumping aggressively. "Well, we've got our plans for next weekend!"

"Wasn't Flynt having a performance with his jazz band next Friday?" Pyrrha asked, absolutely exhausted by the evening's events. The trumpet-major had landed a spot on a local bar's set list, so everyone they knew was turning up.

Nora giggled. "Performances aren't fun without snacks, silly! And, who knows? Flynt's stuff always ends with…?"

"Parties?"

"And parties," Nora explained, feigning patience, "means you can invite whoever. And he _goes to Beacon, _Pyrrha!" She clapped her hands excitedly. "CW, right? Time for a manhunt. I know like, five people off the top of my head who could scope out that department, so-"

"Nora, please don't stalk him."

"Too late!" Nora skipped ahead, already forming schemes to find the blond as soon as possible. With her skillset, the shorter girl would be reporting back to Pyrrha about his blood type and his first childhood pet's names by the night of Flynt's performance.

Pyrrha could only sigh wistfully and follow after her. There was nothing she could do now. Yet, the thought of going back the following Friday to actually ask him out filled her stomach with butterflies, the joy and exhilaration at the mere thought of it enough to reduce her to silly, quiet giggles as she jogged down the street. That joy stuck with her for the rest of the week, all the way to the end of September.

Come next Friday, though, the blond wasn't there. In his place was a terrifying man, long black hair tied up in a braid, pale knuckles scarred and bruised, golden-amber eyes glinting manically, long tongue practically lolling out at the sight of the two girls. Nora and Pyrrha took one look at him behind the counter and walked right back out, taking the long way to the bar to shake off the invasive feeling of his eyes following them, hysterical cackles haunting them down the road.

Pyrrha didn't remember much of the performance. Jaune wasn't there.

In her defeat, she threw herself even harder into her practice. Not having the blond there actually did help her throw- come Monday morning, she managed to hit a new personal best. Glynda was ecstatic. But in the back of her mind, all Pyrrha could think of was the bruise on Jaune's face, and worry whether it wasn't just a bruise anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	8. History

**History**

The fear for Jaune's safety haunted her the rest of the week. The girl woke up every early morning more weary than when she had gone to bed. She eventually poured all her anxiety into practices and assignments, and soon even her strictest professors were praising her for her contributions in class and insightful discussion responses. Everything should have been fine.

It wasn't.

Even Nora began to notice, constantly nagging her to go double-check the store to see if he had returned. "I'm sure he's just fine, Pyrrha," the girl soothed each time she caught Pyrrha sighing wistfully. "He's the type that always makes it out okay, somehow."

Still, the doubts lingered. It was all she could do to keep pushing herself harder and harder on the field, in the gym, in the pool.

And yet, everything was solved in an instant when she finally drew up the courage to wander back to the convenience store. The first Friday of October, Jaune was back, face healed completely and smile just as brilliant, if a bit more ragged, as before. "I had midterms, and all my drafts were due this week," he explained when she inquired about his… questionable coworker the week before. "I almost _died._ Why do profs always think their classes are the only ones we have? I have five to worry about!"

Pyrrha chuckled, keeping her mouth shut since she only had three classes- due to the amount of time she had to dedicate to practice, she was only allowed to take three classes at a time. It evened out though- she took classes year-round, never stopping even in the summer months. But she could definitely relate to his pain, especially after seeing Ren's awful class schedules and never-ending tutorials.

Oh, how she wanted to ask about the bruise. She didn't, though.

The blond was more than happy to continue filling the silence. "Who was here, anyways?"

The redhead sighed, shuddering lightly when she thought back to the strange man's sneer. "Some older man- black braid, oddly pale eyes?"

Immediately, Jaune shivered, face betrayed his discomfort. "Oh god, they brought _Tyrian _in? He's such a creep."

"I… don't doubt it," she murmured. As she spoke, she wandered away from the counter- Nora hadn't sent her without a purpose, after all. Finding her friend's favourite pancake mix and coconut chocolates, she loaded up her basket slowly, calling over the aisles, "Has he… done anything?"

"Other than creep me out and just _exist_? Not really." She heard the blond's irritating tongue-click even from the back of the store as she pondered grabbing Ruby some of her favourite chocolate chip cookies. "He _did _freak out one of my friends once. Made the biggest deal about her eyes- they're really light, and he lost his mind. She hasn't been back to hang out here since, though."

Pyrrha hummed, deciding to grab the cookies just in case. Bringing everything up, she placed everything on the counter as neatly as she could, letting the barcodes face him so his job would be easier. He flashed her an appreciative grin as she asked, "So, is this your only part-time job?"

The boy shook his head. "Nah. I work in the library behind the genetics labs- it's pretty empty there, so mostly I just shelve journals, sort files. I'm usually there during the afternoons."

"What about class?" she inquired, confused.

"Well, I mean, that's what mornings are for, right?"

She raised a brow, impressed. "So you're telling me that you have classes all morning, then you work for the rest of the day?"

He shook his head, laughing a little. "No, during the week I work only at the library. At night I gotta go help with the little ones and make dinner."

Her heart melted as his easygoing smile shone, lighting up the whole room far better than the flickering lights overhead ever could. "So," she leaned on the counter as he scanned another _Pumpkin Pete's _box (Nora was forcing her to go buy every box with her face on it that she could find, just to keep reminding the blond 'how rad she was') and bagged it, "do you ever get to do anything for fun?"

"Shouldn't I be asking that to you, Miss Pyrrha Nikos?" he said grandly, giving her a little bow and flourish. She blushed, hearing her full name fall so comfortably from his lips. "Don't you have too much practice to be lurking here each weekend?"

She shrugged, chuckling embarrassedly. "Well, my roommate is pretty demanding," she giggled, "and there's something nice about this place, I suppose."

"Nice?! Ha!" the boy snorted.

_You can do it. _"Well…" she began quietly, "I don't get to see you otherwise, right?"

The boy stopped short, blinking owlishly at her for a moment.

Instantly, a voice rang through her head (oddly enough, sounding like Nora), screaming _Abort mission! Abort mission!_

But then he smiled, blushing lightly back. "Well, I mean… we _do _go to the same school. And I live around here, but I'm on campus till pretty late, so… if you wanted to study…?" His tone was hopeful, eyes concentrated on setting up the card reader for her. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Oh, wait! Do you like board games?"

She was skeptical but entertained the notion anyways. "Some of my floormates love them, but I don't have a preference," she replied.

The blond gave her a thumbs-up. "Come to the engineering department tomorrow! There's a bunch of us who play board games on Saturdays. It's at 11, so not super early." His eyes shone expectantly. Pyrrha felt herself crumble under his excited gaze. "Whaddya say?"

She smiled.

So, Pyrrha walked out of the store with groceries in hand, a new contact on her phone, and a flood of excited texts from Nora. It was only when she was two blocks down the road that she allowed herself to crouch and curl up in a ball by the roadside, squealing excitedly into her knees.


	9. Ignite

**Ignite**

"Ay, what, Pyrrha's here? Heck yeah!"

"No way! Pyrrha, I didn't know you like _Mafia! _Come sit with me!"

"Guys, let her be. Anyways, Ruby, don't try and make her sit with you- you suck at explaining this game."

"Weiss, I do _not!_"

Pyrrha felt a crushing dread settle over her as she stepped into the open-air courtyard behind the computer science building, only to see a slew of familiar faces turning her way. She had been expecting just a couple of people- maybe a few creative writing majors, maybe some in English lit. However, seated around the picnic tables in the center of the space were almost twenty people, and the vast majority of them were her housemates.

"Hey, everyone," she called sheepishly as Velvet immediately grabbed her hand and guided her over. "I… um… I didn't know this was such a big thing, to be honest."

"I'm so happy you're here," the gentle brunette cooed. "How did you hear about Saturday Smash?"

"…'Saturday Smash'?"

"Yeah," a chipper voice called. Sun walked out of the Mech building, arms laden with coffee and paper cups, a skip in his step. "It started off as Smash tournaments, but we got in trouble after we broke a projector in the Arts Centre, so…"

"Board games are more fun! I'm gonna survive this time." Neptune trailed behind his best friend. Pyrrha gawped at him. However, no one else looked twice at his shockingly-blue head of hair. Was this the Twilight Zone? What was going on?

"Sun, weren't you on duty last night? How are you even awake?" Blake groaned, rubbing her eyes sleepily as she took coffee from him.

Pyrrha awkwardly took a seat on the corner of one bench beside Ruby, across from Weiss. "Do you guys do this every weekend?" she asked hesitantly. _Am I even in the right place?_

Both girls nodded. "You always have practice late on Fridays, right? And since you're not a huge fan of board games, we always thought we should just let you sleep in," Weiss explained, filing her nails primly as they awaited for everyone to arrive.

"Yeah," Ruby chipped in, "if we knew you were into it, we'd have invited you ages ago!"

"I see," Pyrrha nodded slowly, but nothing assuaged her nerves. What even was happening? She had half a mind to pick up her phone and text Jaune, just to clarify whether she was actually supposed to be hanging out with her floormates. It seemed like a dream.

Before she could even type a single sentence, though, she was stopped in her tracks as Yang brightened up. "Oh look," Yang announced, "Vomit Boy showed up!"

"Oh, ha-ha, Goldilocks," a familiar voice came from behind Pyrrha. The redhead swivelled, craning her neck to see the very blond she had been invited by waving to everyone. He looked every bit as clumsy as she thought he would, out of that apron. When Jaune saw her, his entire face lit up. "Pyrrha, you came!"

Yang leaned back, a look of wry surprise on her face. "Pyrrha, was it _Jaune _who told you about this?" Understanding slowly dawned on her face, and Pyrrha felt herself heat up from head to toe under the blonde's awestruck stare. "No way. _No way._"

"Sis, what is it?" Ruby cried, tugging Yang's arm.

The blonde didn't say anything, instead standing up and patting Ruby to scoot over on the bench. "Jaune, sit here!" she called, pointing at the new space between Pyrrha and Ruby. The boy complied, and Pyrrha sent a flustered glare to Yang; however, Yang merely grinned before accosting Neptune for a cup of coffee_._

Pyrrha just blinked, looking up at their friends, searching for an explanation. No one seemed to be paying attention, until Weiss finally sighed, rolling her eyes and clarifying, "Vomit Boy. He threw up _everywhere _during Homecoming in first year."

"Pyrrha, this is Vomit Boy- AKA Jaune," Ruby introduced amiably.

Pyrrha sighed, smiling weakly at the boy. She was intensely aware of his closeness. "Yup, I know. We've met."

"Wait," Jaune said slowly, eyes darting between everyone else and Pyrrha, "do you all know Pyrrha?"

Ruby snorted. "Well, duh. She's in our dorms."

"Wait. _Wait._" The blond held his hands up, searching through his memory. Suddenly, he spun to face Pyrrha in his seat, totally unaware of how his side pressed into her under the picnic table. "Was the cereal for Ruby when she got _high?" _

She shrugged guiltily. "She really wanted some?"

"I won't do it again," the younger girl pouted. "I ate way too much that night."

It was as if everything in some mysterious puzzle had finally connected for the blond. Unfortunately, Pyrrha wasn't privy to any of the revelations he seemed to be experiencing. "Oh my god, they always talk about you. You're gonna be an Olympian? How even- you're the ace on the team? Wow, how am I even here with you." He blushed beet-red, burying his face into his arms dramatically on the table.

Suddenly, Neptune stood up. "Why isn't anyone asking about my damn hair? I'm _blue!" _he cried.

"Keep that salty attitude up, and the mafia will kill you right away," Sun snickered. When everyone just raised a brow, Neptune crumbled, taking his seat as Sun commented, "He lost a bet. Don't worry 'bout it."

Slowly, the gears began turning in Pyrrha's head. She faintly remembered a blond head hunched over a garbage can, blurry and vague in two-year-old memory. "…you've been friends ever since?"

Weiss sighed. "Friends might be pushing it," she muttered while Ruby chirped, "Yup! We were in the same cohort in first year!"

Jaune shot Weiss with finger-guns, then chuckled tiredly. "Holy, Pyrrha," he breathed. "I knew you were legit, but this? You're like, this legend everyone's told me so much about. This is crazy. I never would've guessed."

Pyrrha's heart sank in her chest. This was it. Everyone had apparently been hyping her up since _forever_. She'd never see his comfortable smiles again, huh?


	10. Judgement

**Judgement**

Despite all her fears… nothing changed.

When Jaune finally raised his face again, his expression was friendly, open, excited. He had a competitive glint in his eyes, staring Yang down from across the quad. "Pyrrha, we're gonna make sure Yang gets_ destroyed_ today," he murmured under his breath. "She got me last time. Time for revenge."

Pyrrha stared at him blankly, unsure of how to proceed. He… wasn't treating her any differently.

When she didn't respond, he started, concerned. Quickly, she stuttered, "Oh, I just- don't know how to play, that's all."

Immediately, his expression lit up. "I get to teach you?! Awesome." Placing a friendly hand on her back, he gestured to everyone speaking in small groups. "They're all forming alliances. But we will not fall."

"Jaune," Ruby whined on his other side, "that's not how you play this game!"

"Yeah, what alliances?" Weiss scoffed, finally putting away the nail file.

Jaune rolled his eyes before speedily launching into an explanation. Pyrrha's head began to spin, entire body burning as Jaune continued laying out individual roles. The blond was utterly unaware of her focus, so far away from the rules, instead focused on how close he was pressed against her side. In her lap, she quickly texted Nora, praying that her roommate would see the messages and save her. _Jaune's friends with everyone in our floor, _she added. _How did your friends not figure this out?_

The orange-haired girl responded at the speed of light, only saying that she was on her way.

While she waited, however, all she could do was resign herself to her fate, and the warmth Jaune provided. It was a little chilly that day- everyone was bundled up in sweaters and hoodies and, for a few, entire blankets. Pyrrha found herself removing her jacket in minutes. She was just so disoriented- Jaune's breath was in her ear, she had _no _idea what he was talking about, and apparently people were going to die at night?

Neo, the dealer for the game, gestured towards everyone to form a haphazard circle. She then distributed playing cards as roles, a scheming light in her eyes. When she came up to Pyrrha, however, the redhead stopped her. "I think I'm just going to watch- I've never done this before," she murmured.

Jaune nodded appreciatively. "Good plan." Leaning closer, he whispered, "Watch everyone's tells for when they're lying, then catch them next round!"

She smiled weakly, desperation only heightening when she saw Yang aggressively wiggling her eyebrows and winking at her from across the ragged circle of tired students. _Nora, where are you?_

A boy who Pyrrha recognized as Roman Torchwick, film major extraordinaire and the _bane _of Nora's existence (he took his director's seat far too seriously in their first-year production of _Sweeney Todd, _and ever since then the shorter girl's vendetta had yet to cease- the stains from his overflow of fake blood still lingered on Nora's old favourite white tee) stepped into the centre of the circle. He climbed atop the table, leisurely ambling along the wooden surface. "Well, folks, we are back at it again. It is time to check your cards." Every note and lilt in his voice oozed _theatre, _a production which half the players took in stride with wide smiles, the other half just rolling their eyes, clearly far too used to the boy's antics.

Jaune discreetly showed her his card- he was nothing more than a villager, a role he took to with great annoyance. "I wanted to hunt down Yang for scapegoating me last week," he muttered, "but I guess I'll have to just try and win instead."

"Sounds… like a plan," the redhead replied, still utterly baffled as to what was going on.

Thankfully, she didn't even need to understand fully. Roman was eager to play up the drama, weaving a narrative so elaborate to set the scene that soon, even the ever-patient Yatsuhashi told him to hurry up. Pyrrha let herself fall into the fantasy, giggling along with everyone when Jaune was the first to die. "It's a conspiracy!" he shrieked. No one paid him mind, and he turned to Pyrrha, begging for sympathy, which she gladly gave.

And throughout the rest of the day, his smile towards her never wavered, and she knew- he wasn't like the others. She still had a chance with him.

By the time the game ended, three rounds with the mafia winning every time (Yang and Neptune tended to accuse others blindly, letting the real mafia remain undetected) it was only when Pyrrha felt a light tap that she remembered she had even messaged her best friend. Nora helped her up, smile wide, still in pyjamas, slippers, and panda socks. "C'mon, you gotta eat."

Pyrrha sighed, complying, but her sadness instantly eased when Jaune grabbed her hand. "Did you like the game?"

"It was fun!" And she meant it.

He smiled brilliantly. "Drop by if you guys ever need more cereal! I'll… I'll message you to study sometime?"

Her words died in her throat. Thankfully, Nora was there to say, "Don't forget, blondie!" She pulled Pyrrha away as the group dispersed, the two girls veering straight for Nora's favourite café to grab a late lunch. Pyrrha hadn't eaten that morning, too nervous to meet Jaune.

The moment they were out of earshot, Nora practically choked in laughter, sniggering so hard she nearly doubled over. "You realize he's _so dumb,_ right? Like, how does he not even notice that you're a big ol' pile-o-mush around him?"

"He's not a bad person!" Pyrrha defended instantly. Quieter, she queried, "…am I really obvious?"

Nora shrugged, looping her arm through Pyrrha's. "I didn't say he's a _bad _guy. You don't need him to be smart, just nice. Go have fifty babies; they'll be cute."

An incoherent squeak escaped the redhead's throat in response, but they laughed through lunch anyways. It was time to catch up on some readings- and maybe, she'd even gather the courage to text Jaune, too.


	11. Kindred

**Kindred**

"So, Pyrrha, how was the game today?" Yang asked knowingly before catching another grape in her mouth. Nora liked to throw them at her across the table. The dining hall staff didn't like it, but it never stopped them.

The redhead sighed, pushing string beans across her plate. "It was actually really fun," she admitted. The session had been much more entertaining than the silent study session she endured alone afterwards. Unfortunately, those papers weren't going to write themselves, and Saturday was her only pure rest day.

"Then you should join in next time!" Ruby said cheerily. "You only watched today."

Pyrrha chuckled dryly, averting her eyes from Yang's prying expression. "I don't know if I want to play- watching was enough for me." By the end of each round, the accusations had been far too intense for the redhead to keep up with. The fact that everyone was still _friends _afterwards baffled her.

"Was it really that fun?" Nora whined. She had had to go to the theatre all morning and right after lunch to set up for an upcoming show, which is why she hadn't joined Pyrrha for her Mafia adventure that morning. "Can I go next time?"

"Nora, every time you play _anything, _you end up messing up the board and playing make-believe with the pieces," Weiss pointed out. "It ruins the game."

"Maybe your games are _boring,_" the girl pouted, sticking her tongue out.

Ren sighed, turning back to Arslan to continue their previous conversation before Yang's question. "So Neon's going to be hosting it this year?"

Every year, there was a giant Halloween party the closest Friday to the date itself. It was always hosted by either Flynt, or one of his friends- if Neon was hosting it, then they all knew exactly what to expect. As the serious girl nodded, everyone let out a collective sigh. Neon's parties were always themed- in order to please her, all costumes were going to have to be extremely specific.

At this revelation though, Nora elbowed Pyrrha lightly. "Invite your boy!" she cried. "Tell him the theme and match him, it'll be so cute-"

"What are you talking about, Nora?" Pyrrha nervously interjected, quickly glancing at everyone else. Thankfully, the others were engaged in discussing what the party could look like, so no one noticed the sudden pitch up in her voice. Quieting down and leaning in, she whispered, "Do you really think that he'd go with me?"

"Pft. Heck yeah, he would!" Nora's grin was impossibly wide, the girl beaming at her roommate warmly. "Girl, I saw how he was sitting with you. He was _looking _at you, y'know." She winked. "No guy would say no when they're already like that!"

"What's this?" a voice from behind called. Pyrrha glanced up, finding a smiling Velvet looking down at her. The older girl's hair was tied up, still wet from a shower- the lithe girl competed in long jump, and their training ran late on the weekends. "Pyrrha, you have someone in mind?"

At her innocent words, everyone instantly honed in on their conversation. They all said the exact same thing with their eyes- _Pyrrha wants to go with someone? _She had never expressed interest in anyone before, after all.

Pyrrha chuckled, pulling on the calmest expression she could. "No, there's no one," she said smoothly, expressly keeping her eyes away from Yang, whose smile was growing more and more certain. She shifted to the side, allowing Velvet to sit next to her on the bench.

The older girl who slid in sighed once everyone resumed their own conversations. "Y'know, I don't know if I approve," Velvet murmured.

Pyrrha traded confused glances with Nora. "What do you mean?"

Velvet pouted, then flashed Coco a grin as the other girl passed her a tray of food. Cutting into her quiche, she explained, "Well, Mercury isn't exactly-"

"Why the _heck _would Pyrrha ever go _anywhere _with _Mercury?!_" Nora shrieked, slamming her hands down on the table. "Over my dead body she'd go with that guy!"

"He's not that bad," Ruby said, glancing over to where Mercury sat. He always ate his dinner with Emerald and Cinder, two people with whom Pyrrha had never gotten along- but Emerald was a sprinter, so the redhead always was polite to her. Occasionally the boy was joined by Neo and Roman, although the latter two were the only ones with whom any of Pyrrha's friends would ever interact. Currently, the boy was sniffing a piece of tofu suspiciously, and Emerald and Cinder were just trading annoyed looks.

"I'd never go with Mercury," Pyrrha explained quietly. "He… there's something about him. I'm not a fan." It was true. Ever since her first party at Beacon (and oh god, what a terrifyingly college-movie-esque experience that had been for her- they had had the stereotypical red cups for beer pong, and 18-year-old Pyrrha had been _appalled_) she had never been a fan of Mercury Black. The boy just had a tendency to look a little too much, linger a little too long- it made her shudder, and not in a good way.

Velvet hummed quietly, eating her food. That was the last they mentioned the party that night.

But as Nora, Ren and Pyrrha returned to Ren's single room to hang out, letting the boy begin his next wave of assignments and practice problems, Nora wouldn't let her walk inside. "Go visit him," she urged. "You've only got a few weeks left until then! October won't last forever."

As much as Pyrrha hated to admit it, Nora was right. She _did _want to ask Jaune to go with her. She'd take any sort of hangout with him, that was true- but while she didn't like parties very much, only going for Nora usually, it would be a lot more fun with him.

So, she spluttered, rolled her eyes, and then lightly and demurely scurried back to their room so she could grab a jacket.


	12. Landscape

**Landscape**

The moment she stepped outside, however, the weather decided to not cooperate. She barely made it past the end of the dormitories before a torrential rainfall suddenly unleashed its wrath upon her, forcing her back inside. Walking to see him through the darkness was already a little unnerving- she certainly didn't need to compete with storms, too.

So, the rest of the weekend passed uneventfully. Nora kept nudging her to text the blond, to which she outright refused. It grew to the point where she ended up heading _back _to the track on Sunday night to run, just to distract herself from the ever-present number sitting in her phone's contacts.

It was nearly noon on Monday, over textbook readings and lunch, when she received a message from the blond simply asking where she was. The redhead nearly leapt three feet off the ground in shock, shakily typing out a response- there was a little grassy knoll where she liked to spend her one hour between practice and class every day, eating lunch and enjoying the weather. There was a small gazebo nearby, too, which made it a viable spot year-round. She didn't mind the winter rains, though- hiding underneath the branches of a tall oak tree provided more than enough shelter, the scent of damp earth and nature enough to make her heady. No one else was usually around, and it was right behind the building which housed the majority of her classes, so she relished in the quiet. Only a few other people from her dorms knew that they could always find her there during lunch, since they had dropped by to drop off or pickup study materials.

The light crunching of dried leaves underfoot caught her attention barely five minutes later, a familiar grin accompanied by bright blue eyes peeking around the trunk of the tree which served as her backrest. "Hey! You mind if I hang out?" Jaune asked.

She flashed a glance at her phone screen briefly- she had texted Nora about the boy's message, her friend only replying with confetti, thumbs-ups and reminders to ask about Neon's party- before tucking it away in her bag. "Hey, Jaune," she murmured, cursing at how breathlessly the words slipped past her lips.

But as he settled down beside her, her heart froze in her chest. "Jaune, what…?"

This time, it was a black eye. Thankfully, the eye wasn't swollen, but the dark-purple bruise was still tinged with red, burst blood vessels evident through his fair skin. The boy's smile grew sheepish. "It's bad, huh?"

On instinct, she reached out a hand, cupping his cheek and running a thumb lightly over the injury. "Jaune, what happened?" she whispered.

The boy's cheeks grew warm and flushed under her sudden touch, and she instantly pulled back, shocked at how close their faces had drawn. Shifting away as if burned, she threw her back against the trunk once more, picking up her lunch once more.

Jaune shook his head, recovering with an awkward chuckle. "Wow, you really _are _an athlete, huh?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, taking another bite of her chicken and spinach salad. He reached into his bag and pulled out his own food- a bag of dry cereal as if to demonstrate his point. She nearly choked. "Okay, you don't need to be an athlete to know that that's _not _okay, Jaune!"

He snickered. "But it was one of your boxes, Pyrrha!" Pouring a handful of dry marshmallow flakes into his mouth, he flashed her a wry grin. "So, really, it's _your _fault."

"I did not pack you cereal."

He held up his hands defensively. "I'm sorry I didn't have time to meal prep chicken breast and avocado, oh healthy one."

She rolled her eyes. "Ha-ha, Jaune." She giggled anyways. Her pocket vibrated- likely Nora bugging her further about the party. The event was only a few weeks away. She wanted to ask- oh, how she did- but it was far too intimidating to bring it up. How did people ever manage to ask out others in the first place?! Even the mere thought of it made her cheeks flush red.

Suddenly, a nearby voice drawled lazily, "Wow, Em was right. Look who's here."

The redhead sat up and swivelled in her seat instantly, the hairs on the nape of her neck bristling. She knew that voice. "Hey, Mercury," she called as the grey-haired boy came into view. "What brings you here?"

Mercury strolled in front of her, raising his brow when he saw the confused blond seated by her side. "Who's this? Don't tell me- Miss Nikos has found herself a boyfriend?" Clutching a hand to his heart dramatically, he sighed, voice mournful. "How could I lose my chance?!"

"Cut it out," she muttered, climbing to her feet. Her heart jumped into her throat at his words. _Don't say that. Don't scare him away. _"He's not my boyfriend."

"Oh?" He raised a brow, intrigued, a coy smile on his lips.

She crossed her arms, leaning back against the tree. "Did you need something?"

"You didn't answer my question," he sang lightly, tucking his hands into his pockets as he walked over to Jaune. His voice grew hard. "So. Blondie. What's your name?"

Jaune frowned, understanding that the newcomer wasn't welcome. He stood, drawing himself up tall by Pyrrha's side. "Jaune. Can I help you?"

Mercury chuckled, shrugging. "Em wanted me to tell you that Glynda wanted to talk to you tomorrow before practice," he said innocently. "Just wanted to let you know!"

Pyrrha frowned, pulling out her phone once more. Indeed, the last message was from Velvet, not Nora- it was conveying the same message. "She didn't need to get you to tell me," Pyrrha murmured.

The boy shrugged again, walking back towards the path leading out of the clearing. Waving carelessly over his shoulder, his words left a sour taste in her mouth. "Maybe I just wanted to see you, little Miss Invincible."


	13. Momentum

**Momentum**

She bristled at the name. _Miss Invincible. _She hated that moniker, given to her by a school paper after one particularly-successful track meet in her first year. "Thanks." The words were steely, echoing through the air as he walked away, leaving an awkward silence between her and Jaune.

Finally, he muttered, "Friend of yours?"

She chuckled emotionlessly. "Not particularly. He lives in my dorms, though."

Jaune's face screwed up in distaste. "So he's near Ruby and everyone, too?"

Pyrrha ran her hand through hair tiredly. It had finally dried completely after her post-practice shower, so she pulled her hairband off her wrist and began running her fingers through her hair, gathering up the long strands tiredly. "He is," she explained. "He's not very close with anyone there, though. He sticks with his friends, usually."

"So why did he find you today?"

The girl shrugged, smoothing and arranging her bangs over her forehead. "I don't know," she admitted. "He's always just been weirdly friendly to me."

"Didn't look very friendly to me," the blond muttered under his breath, and her heart soared at the care and concern in his voice.

His frustration didn't last, though. She glanced up, catching blue eyes fixate upon the waist-length crimson strands which spilled over her shoulders before they quickly glanced away, and she felt her face heat up once more. Clumsy at the sudden attention, she pulled her hair tight into a ponytail and let it fall over one shoulder, leaning back against the tree once more.

After a few moments of quiet eating (aside from Jaune's meek crunching of cereal, of course) she murmured, "So you won't tell me about the eye?"

"It's no big deal."

She sighed. "Okay. When do you go to work?"

"I still have… thirty minutes before I should head out."

They ate for a few more minutes, until Pyrrha's glass container was emptied of greens and Jaune's fingers hit the bottom of his bag. Then, the girl picked up her textbook once more, focusing on her readings while the boy pulled out his phone, unwinding with a mobile game.

Finally, it was time for both of them to leave. She stood up, stretching her stiff muscles quickly. "By the way," she chimed, "I can't drop by this Friday."

Jaune slung his bag over his shoulder, frowning. "Why, what's going on?"

She smiled, stomach fluttering as she saw a hint of reluctance in his eyes. _He's worried! He wants me to come visit!_ "It's nothing! I have a meet on Saturday, that's all."

Immediately, his face relaxed, and he grinned. "That's so cool. You've gotta rest up then, huh?"

She beamed. "Of course."

The blond stretched as well, wincing as his back cracked slightly. "I'm sure you'll be amazing," he murmured.

Pyrrha blushed, clutching her textbook to her chest. Although she had heard those words hundreds of times before, hearing Jaune encourage her suddenly made the words ring so much more earnestly in her heart. "I'll do my best," she replied, shyly smiling at him.

He grinned back, then tucked his hands into his pockets and began jogging away. "I've got to get to work," he called. "Will you be here tomorrow?"

Hope rose in her throat, effectively cutting out all sound. She quickly nodded, and he flashed her a thumbs-up before turning the corner. In his absence, she squeezed the textbook tight, practically floating on air until she was suddenly seated in her History of Menagerie class. Whipping out her phone, she messaged Nora about the hour's events.

_Dude. You have an in, _the girl messaged back.

Pyrrha nearly squealed, her excitement carrying her through the rest of the day, leaving her uncharacteristically joyful and bright to everyone around her.

That joy didn't fade all week. True to his word, Jaune was there the next day, stumbling into the little nook after a long morning of classes. "Five hours in a row should be illegal," he groaned as he crumpled against the oak tree.

Pyrrha merely smiled, pulling out a second box of lunch for him to eat which she had gotten from the dining hall that morning. The boy blinked at her, grinned, and kept his cereal in his bag for the day.

They settled into that routine with such ease, it was if they had been friends all their lives. Soon, Jaune was bringing his homework to the meetings, and by the end of the week, Jaune was spell-checking her papers while she was editing his story drafts. It was simple and sweet and _perfect. _Even finding out that Jaune was working the night of Neon's party wasn't enough to bring her down. Even when Mercury walked up to her and asked her slyly whether she was going alone or not, she didn't care. It would just be another party third-wheeling with Nora and Ren, and she was okay with that.

She'd just visit the blond the next evening, anyways.

And that Saturday night, when she walked into the convenience store bare-faced and freshly showered, she was ecstatic. Glynda was utterly pleased with their entire team's performance, and her teammates were overjoyed with their cumulative victories, piling up to represent Beacon the best they could. She pulled out her little medal without ever worrying about how Jaune would look at her. She knew that he'd see it and _glow _with pride, and that was exactly what he did.


	14. Neighbourhood

**Neighbourhood**

Their schedule persisted, and Pyrrha got the pleasure of spending more time with him every day the next week. In their hour-long meetups, Jaune brought her the same chocolate bar from their first awkward interaction (her collection was growing, moving from her router to take over one of her shelves, but she didn't have the heart to tell him that no, she didn't really eat chocolate very much) and Pyrrha learned more about him. He worked so much because he was almost the youngest with seven sisters, and all of them were either pursuing higher education or just about to begin. He loved his classes, and dreamed of making superhero comics (although she didn't have the heart to tell him that his idea for 'the Huntsman' sounded a lot like a Batman rip-off) and his drawings were actually quite good. He adored action movies and video games and cartoons, things that she herself had never really been interested in- but she also knew that he would one day write something _incredible, _because he had this way with words when storytelling that made her feel like she was loved those things, too, and it was _magic._

By the end of the week, it was Yang's turn to host a party. The girl finished all of her midterms, and thus was free until finals- "Time to go out with a _Yang,_ guys!" she kept insisting, inciting groans from everyone within earshot- so she was more than happy to supply food, booze, and convince Sun and Neptune to be on duty that night. With them, they wouldn't get caught, and the boys would even join in. If it was Sage, though, they'd likely be busted, and that wouldn't be fun for anyone.

After coming back to the dorms that evening (although the tram was indeed working after her practice, meaning she didn't have to run for her life down Main Avenue again) Nora refused to let Pyrrha check in on the lounge's festivities until the girl had cleaned up properly. "Trust me," the shorter girl insisted, pushing her into their bedroom despite Pyrrha's protests. "Go shower. Put on some makeup, layer up, then come in."

But the girl's eyes were wild and frantic and knowing, so Pyrrha mutely complied, only entering said room once she was wearing a simple dress and warm tights, her hair clipped back to dry, makeup lightly done. She felt her entire body freeze on the spot when she saw her favourite blond seated on the floor next to Ruby, a cup of something alcoholic in his hand, smile wide and welcoming.

"The nacho cheese machine finally exploded," Jaune explained as the redhead promptly took the drink handed to her by Nora (who, from her seat on the couch, could enjoy the exact moment Pyrrha's expression shifted from amicable friendliness to embarrassment), settling down next to the blond so she could lean against the orange-haired girl's knees. "Nora was right that time, but when I told my manager he didn't listen, so… yeah. Cheese was _everywhere." _

Ruby nodded excitedly, showing photographs the blond had supplied her with so much vigor it may as well have been the younger girl's story.

He continued, "Got the night off, and Ruby told me about this, and my eldest sis said I should go have some fun for once." Holding his drink up, he smiled wryly. "And that brings us here. You know, they really need to install more maps around campus. Figuring out exactly which building was yours was _awful._"

She chuckled, clinking her red plastic cup of poison with him before taking a sip. After two full years with Nora, her roommate knew exactly what she liked- and, thankfully, they had the exact wine she liked in stock that day on the lounge table. The dry, crisp red filled her mouth, fruity and sharp and smooth.

Before they had time to continue, Yang- who, by this point, had had one too many strawberry sunrises, and was more than a little bit tipsy- revealed a stack of board games. Collective groans filled the air, but she simply waggled a finger. "Nuh-uh. It is finally October, so tomorrow will be _spooky _games- only_ boo_-rd games allowed!" Everyone groaned, but she relished in the cringing of her friends. "So today, we get to play all the _fun _stuff!"

Everyone sighed, but acquiesced, and Pyrrha let herself lean back onto Nora's legs, just watching in peace. The buzz from the wine slowly crept through her body from her gut out to her fingertips, and she delighted in it. Her next big meet wasn't for a couple of weeks, so she deserved the treat. Nora easily provided refills, only leaving every once in a while to check on Ren, who was busy marking midterms for the first-year course for which he was a TA.

It took precisely two hours for Jaune's face to completely turn a cherry red, his tolerance for alcohol utterly non-existent. He stood up, swaying lightly. "Oh no, time for Vomit Boy to make his comeback!" Ruby slurred, cheering from only her second can of cider.

Jaune rolled his eyes, reaching over to grab the guitar Neptune had brought when the two RAs joined the party. The blue-haired boy had been woefully trying to learn it 'in order to woo the ladies', to Weiss' chagrin. He didn't protest, however, when the blond stumbled back to Pyrrha's side, guitar in hand. He sat down, utterly pleased with himself at his new acquisition. "I'm cutting myself off," he murmured as she watched. "I need something to do, otherwise I'll keep drinking."

To Pyrrha's surprise, his fingers deftly plucked at the strings, and the boy soon was providing a gentle backdrop to the otherwise-intense game of Uno that was occurring in the center of the room. He swayed with the melody, bumping into Pyrrha's shoulder every once in a while, sending her a sheepish grin as he finger-plucked song after song. She melted. It was wonderful.


	15. Offset

**Offset **

"You know what that feeling's called, right?"

The sound of sizzling recommenced as Ren, hunched over their illicit griddle, poured another ladleful of batter onto the greased surface. Pyrrha pouted, crawling underneath the curtain hung around the bottom of Nora's bed. She clutched her pillow to her chest, sighing tiredly as Nora immediately latched onto her shoulder, snuggling contentedly.

"You're making it a big deal," Pyrrha murmured, holding out her plate. Ren flipped the pancake, a perfect golden brown, onto her plate. How he managed it with his eyes half-closed, still in a stupor from his late marking session the night before, she'd never know.

Nora shook her head, opening her mouth. Pyrrha dutifully cut her a piece of the pancake and fed her friend before taking a bite herself. The girl hummed happily before replying around the food, "Look, Pyrrha. We _all _know how you feel about him. Even Ruby must've figured it out!"

She blushed darker than her roots. "There's no way. You're exaggerating-"

"Except I'm not," Nora insisted, "and _you're _head-over-heels. I get it. He's the perfect kind of stupid for you."

Pyrrha sighed, eating her pancake woefully. "But what if he doesn't feel the same way?"

The orange-haired girl snorted around her pancake. "Are you kidding me?! Ruby apparently has been trying to get him to come hang out for _years, _and he's never taken her up on it until now! What's changed?" She jabbed the redhead in the stomach, startling a yelp out of her. "It's you! It's 'cause of you!"

Yet, her doubts wouldn't fade. What if Jaune was just… the world's nicest boy? What if he just wanted to be platonic friends, nothing more? What if everyone was imagining the hints he was dropping, and he just wanted to hang out and that was it?

The fear of rejection- being rejected by _anything _in a lifetime of victory, of self-assured confidence- was _terrifying. _She had no idea how to deal with it.

So, she stayed her hand. The worries haunted her, but she said nothing. Her mind kept spinning in circles, her desperation to spend time with him trumping her need to take time off and study quietly. She met up with him throughout the next week, hanging out despite her midterms going into full swing, her papers piling up relentlessly. The boy noticed how stressed she was growing, and he happily offered to help her study during their meetups. Yet, by the end of the week, when she met up with him after her Friday evening training, she was utterly exhausted. Her performance was falling, and she didn't know what to do.

It was when she received a surprisingly low quiz mark online that Saturday, a week before the fated party, that she truly understood what she needed to do- either resolve the situation with Jaune now, or give herself time to get her work done independently without having to worry about the blond.

And yet, when she visited him that evening, wanting to bring up the idea of studying in the library that week during her breaks instead of with him, he was sporting a split lip, and all words died in her throat. While Nora and Ren and, joining them for once on their little adventure, Ruby, were scanning the shelves for hidden treasures, Pyrrha could only whisper, "What happened this week? Jaune, you have to tell me. I'm worried about you."

And the blond sighed, running his hands through his hair. "My older sister volunteers in a shelter nearby," he finally explained, tired. "I usually pick her up on Friday nights- well, Saturday mornings, after my shift."

"Okay," she murmured, tapping the counter anxiously.

"And, well… lately, her ex has been lurking outside, waiting for her. I've been trying to get him to back off, but… unfortunately, Cardin's kind of an ass." He gestured bleakly at himself. "Every time I tell him my sister's dating someone else now, he gets _pretty _offended."

"Haven't you told your sister that he's there?" she spluttered, utterly confused.

He shook his head. "You don't understand," he murmured. "Saph just wants to make a difference. I don't want some scumbag to change that. And, it's good that I'm clumsy! She just thinks I trip a lot at work." He snickered at that. "It's not like it's never happened. And I'm slowly convincing her to only work during the day. It just takes time."

And she groaned, instantly losing her confidence. How could he just say that? How could he just keep that smile on his face when he was suffering?

"Tell her," she urged. "It's not worth you getting beat up!"

The boy shook his head. "She's got enough on her plate," he insisted. "And I'll be fine."

Her friends returned to the front of the store, goods in hand, effectively cutting off the conversation. Nora lined up everything with a smirk, elbowing Pyrrha, sending her a knowing grin. When the redhead's distressed gaze fell upon her, however, Nora sobered up, tugging Ren's sleeve. Ren nodded, helping the blond bag the items while Nora pulled the redhead out of the store. "What's going on?" she murmured,

Pyrrha sighed. "I just…"

"That boy better not have said anything-"

"Don't say that," Pyrrha interjected. Her heart had fallen into the pit of her stomach, heavy and pained. _He's stronger than any of us. How can he handle everything? I just don't get it. _Because no matter how much Nora teased her for liking such a dense human, Jaune was still working two jobs, managing five classes, and taking care of his siblings more than anyone could ever ask him to. He was able to handle so much, and yet, Pyrrha struggled to handle a simple crush on top of her normal classes and athletics.

With great shame, she realized the truth. She felt confused, conflicted- inferior. For the first time in her life, she truly experienced shame for feeling _weak._


	16. Pray

**Pray**

The split lip's swelling died down by Monday. Pyrrha was uncomfortable seeing him, now that she knew everything about the boy's mysterious injuries- he was just _so happy _to see her, and she just… couldn't be. Her smiles were weaker than usual. If he noticed, though, she didn't know.

How could she face him? She suddenly felt so inferior. He was working so hard, looking out for his family, whereas Pyrrha, being an only child, had only ever focused on herself. Nora and Ren were the closest thing she had to siblings, but she had never needed to protect them.

_If I was in his shoes, would I be able to keep smiling like that? _She didn't know.

When she got back to her room after class, she found Nora laying with feet propped up on the wall and head hanging off the edge of her mattress. "Pyrrha," the orange-haired girl groaned.

Pyrrha sighed, dropping off her bag to the side. She reached over to her chocolate collection (the blond had begun supplying her with so much chocolate that she genuinely thought of getting a box to pack the rest of it away. She had no idea how to tell him that she didn't actually eat chocolate normally, but he always looked so happy to bring her some, she just couldn't reject it) and grabbed a bar, wandering over to Nora. Taking care not to kick the curtain which hid away their pancake paraphernalia, she climbed onto the bed, unwrapping the chocolate and feeding her roommate before lying back on the girl's bed. "What's up?" she murmured at last.

"I'm so _tired,_" Nora moaned. "Like… someone in our club screwed up, and we can't even find who! How did half of our extension cables go missing? Someone spilled paint on half of the props table, and I'm just…" She screamed to vent her frustrations, then collapsed back onto her bed once more. "I'm tired."

Pyrrha patted the girl's knee comfortingly. "I'm sorry," she soothed, feeding her another piece of chocolate. "That's awful."

"And, to make matters worse," Nora added, throwing her hands up in the air angrily, "Ren has to invigilate three midterms today. Three! I won't get to see him until tomorrow basically!"

The redhead hummed. "Maybe you could do something for him tomorrow? Get him some breakfast or something? He has 8 AMs tomorrow, doesn't he?"

Nora rolled over to rest her head on Pyrrha's legs, nodding. "I'll make him something yummy," she promised, smiling despite her own weariness. "It'll cheer him up!"

"It will," Pyrrha agreed sweetly.

Taking another piece of the chocolate bar, Nora murmured, "When's your presentation?" One of the redhead's classes required a presentation on large-scale contemporary revolutions, but since the professor's former Ph. D supervisor was coming to watch, they all needed to dress up and make it far fancier than any undergraduate class outside of business schools had any right to ask of them.

"It's tonight. I'll get dressed and head to office in a few."

"How did Glynda take it, since you're missing practice?"

She shrugged. "I'm a student. Academics matter. I already miss enough class for meets and stuff in the spring, so she was pretty understanding."

They were quiet for a few moments, the only sound being Nora's quiet humming and the crinkling of the chocolate bar's wrapper. Finally, Nora asked, "So… Jaune? Did you see him today?"

"I did." She hadn't told Nora about Jaune's situation- it felt too personal to share. However, that meant that she felt like she had to bear the burden on her own, and the truth hung heavy on her heart.

The girl blinked owlishly up at her, eager and excited. "So? So? Did you ask him-"

"I already told you," Pyrrha laughed wearily, slipping herself off of Nora's duvet and walking to her closet to avoid Nora's eyes, "he's working Friday."

"Tell him to take it off!" she squawked in response. "I have such a good costume for you, he _needs _to see it!"

Pyrrha rolled her eyes, pulling out a smart blazer and pencil skirt. She tuned out Nora's ramblings about the costumes for Neon's party (apparently the theme was 'fictional characters', meaning Nora couldn't make Ren go as peanut butter to her jelly _again)_ and how she had hijacked all of the materials from her theatre club's copious supplies as Pyrrha got dressed. Soon, her makeup was pristine, hair smoothed to flawless crimson perfection, presentation securely saved on a thumb drive along with her CCTS cloud, and cue cards tucked in her pocket. "I'm heading out!"

"Go break some legs!"

She chuckled wryly. "That's not how the saying goes, Nora."

"Don't challenge the theatre kid!"

So, Pyrrha stepped out of her room, heading to the elevator in her classy pumps. All she could do was focus on banishing thoughts of an injured blond out of her mind.

When the elevator finally reached the seventh floor to pick her up, however, a familiar face stepped out. Mercury whistled appreciatively, ignoring how Emerald and Cinder rolled their eyes and walked into the floor's lounge, effectively leaving Mercury alone with the redhead.

"Looking good, Pyrrha," he commented, not even bothering to hide his creeping gaze.

She sidestepped him and entered the elevator, sighing when he popped his arm through the door, preventing the doors from closing. "I have to go to class," she said wearily.

He nodded, feigning casual kindness. "You know, Pyrrha," Mercury murmured, "I heard through the grapevine that you're still third-wheeling. If you want, I can change that." She smiled wanly at him, jamming the button to shut the elevator. Seeing her reluctance to talk, the boy pulled away, smiling sickeningly-sweet. "Okay. I'll see you around, Nikos."

The doors shut, and she leaned her head back against the elevator doors. She didn't want Mercury to look at her like that. Why couldn't he just take a hint?

She grimaced. It felt hypocritical to say, but the blond was the only person she had ever wanted to really _see _her.


	17. Quit

**Quit**

It was after the presentation that she truly found her resolve. She had managed to pull off a decent job, earning a more-than-passable mark from her prof, but her mind had been so distracted that the entire presentation itself was nothing more than a blurry memory. This whole affair with Jaune had caused such an odd, unexpected whirlwind to throw her life off-kilter, and she needed it to stop.

So, she'd step away from him. It would just be for a bit- her final meet for the on-season was mid-November, and then she'd relax with indoor training through finals- but until then, she had to keep her performance from suffering.

With that decided, she texted him quickly before she could lose her confidence. Lunch would have to be solo. She still had upcoming assignments, so she needed to dedicate her breaks to the library- not her lunch spot, and certainly not Jaune.

He didn't respond.

Nora was on her the moment she walked back into their bedroom, freaking out. "Apparently Neon's parents need the house this whole weekend, so the party's next weekend!" She collapsed dramatically on her chair. "But I worked so hard to finish our costumes on time…"

"Well," Pyrrha mused, "doesn't this mean you have even more time to make sure they're perfect?"

At this, Nora sat upright, a fire in her eyes. "You…'re absolutely right!" She leapt to her feet, holding a fist in the air victoriously. "Time to make this _perfect." _

Pyrrha chuckled, hanging up her business attire, changing into pyjamas. Soon, she found herself in the cafeteria with Nora, Ren and the others, eating quesadillas.

"Well," Blake commented, "at least this means that almost everyone will be done their exams."

Weiss nodded happily. "I'll actually be able to stay the whole time!" she shrilled. "I was going to have to head out early, since I have a paper due Sunday night. It's _so _much work."

"Nerd," Ruby mumbled around a mouthful of cheese and sour cream, giggling at the glare her pale roommate sent her way.

Nora elbowed Pyrrha lightly, catching a cherry tomato thrown by Yang from down the table before whispering, "Go ask Jaune if he's free!"

"No, Nora," she replied smoothly, cutting into her dinner. Her roommate pouted, but soon turned her attention back to Ren, chattering about how her club's show was progressing.

So, life carried on. She went to practice, pushing herself harder and harder. She threw herself into her training and academics, weekly assessments garnering positive results for her efforts. It felt good to have some semblance of control over her life again.

The only mar on her training was that Emerald had also taken to extra workouts when Pyrrha's teammates were on the field. With Emerald came Mercury, his prying eyes watching coyly as Pyrrha worked on her form.

And every time the little voice in her heart whispered about how she wasn't good enough to reach out to Jaune again, she shut it up by throwing herself even more wholeheartedly into her work.

Yet, that Friday, sitting around her dorm was driving her crazy. She threw on her sneakers and some warm workout clothes, and was jogging into town blindly before she knew it. Her mind drifted off, focusing on the music pounding in her ears (Nora's playlists were always so random and entertaining that they were perfect for her to zone out to) until the shine of streetlights, headlights and storefronts were nothing but blurs in the wind.

Yet, muscle memory was dangerous. When she finally took stock of her surroundings, she was stepping onto the street adjacent to Jaune's workplace. Instantly, she bolted the other direction, groaning internally at her stupidity. How had she not noticed?

As she reached a large intersection, waiting for the pedestrian crossing to change, she felt a light touch on her arm. Pulling out one headphone, she saw a kind young woman smiling up at her. "Um… may I help you?" Pyrrha murmured, confused. She didn't recognize this person- who was she?

The woman chuckled, waving brightly. "Ah, you were listening to music. I was calling your name!" she chirped. "At least… you _are _Pyrrha, right?"

"Yes, I am," she replied, turning to take full stock of the stranger. With long, dirty blonde hair, a round, open face, and startlingly-familiar blue eyes, the woman looked oddly welcoming. "Have we met?"

The light on the intersection turned green, allowing the two women to cross. "Oh, goodness, no," the stranger murmured. "But I think you know my brother!"

Suddenly, it clicked. "Wait… are you Jaune's sister?"

"Saphron Arc. Just call me Saph." Saph beamed up at her, eyes sparkling. "But Jaune's told me so much about you! I saw the hair from down the street and just _knew_ it had to be you."

Pyrrha chuckled embarrassedly, unease growing. "Really, now?" She was suddenly struck with the urge to talk to Saph, to tell the older woman about what was going on with Jaune- how could she not know that her brother was getting into fights in order to protect her?

She said nothing, though, biting her tongue in guilty frustration as Saph said in a light, teasing voice, "He keeps buying cereal boxes with you on them, y'know. He's a total fan!" Laughing brightly, she added, "At first I thought he was being kind of creepy, but Ruby told me you were actually friends now, so I figured it was cute instead." They reached a corner, and Saph readjusted her backpack, waving to the redhead. "Well. I'm off this way. Enjoy your night, Pyrrha! Sorry for just talking your ear off. It was nice meeting you!" And with that, the friendly woman skipped up to a nearby building, leaving Pyrrha on the curb.

The redhead didn't move for a long time, mind spinning in circles, heart conflicted. God, how she wanted to see him. _Not yet, Pyrrha. Get your life on track, grow a spine, then talk to him. _

He still hadn't texted her back.


	18. Register

**Register**

For the rest of the weekend, Pyrrha's sights were so singularly set upon her studies and athletics that even Nora was tricked into no longer asking about Jaune. Thankfully, that was aided by the fact that the extra week given to them before Neon's party (now happening a few days _after _Halloween, rather than before it, since the day itself was that Monday) gave Nora enough time to ensure that everything on their costumes was as authentic as possible. The orange-haired girl refused to tell Pyrrha their chosen characters, especially after finding out that Ren ("Thanks to that dang TA job," Nora kept mumbling under her breath bitterly) wasn't able to make the party anymore. She wanted to relish in seeing the redhead's surprise when she finally unveiled the costume, and Pyrrha was more than happy to oblige her friend.

It was startling to think about how quickly the blond had wormed his way into her heart. It had been just over a month since she had met him- barely three weeks since their first lunch together- and yet, his absence by her side was already so noticeable. She hated not talking to him. Yet, after Sunday night, when she was struck with the realization that the blond _still _hadn't texted her back after her message nearly a week before, she was far too unnerved to message again.

A part of her wondered whether it would be worth it to go to the library behind the genetics lab during her breaks, just so she could at least study _near_ him. Each time that errant thought flitted by, though, she squashed it instantly. It wasn't worth it. His work was too far away. By the time she reached the building, she would only have a scant twenty minutes to eat her lunch and study, versus the nearby library that gave her almost the full hour between her classes. So, she stayed close to home, shoving her feelings away.

The Halloween party was only a few days away, and Pyrrha's final meet of the season was set for the following weekend. Everything was finally closing, and then Pyrrha could figure out how to talk to Jaune like an adult about her feelings, as clumsy as she was. That was the drive that kept her going, as she firmly put away the fact that his status left her on _read_.

Practice early on Wednesday morning began fairly well. Glynda was guiding them through a circuit before their throwing session. She preferred these exercises the most- it took concentration on her form, her heart pumping in her chest, breath heavy and quick and focused as she completed each repetition as cleanly as possible. She didn't have time to think about anything else.

When Glynda finally called a break to transition to throwing, however, her eyes fell upon figures on the sidelines. Emerald was stretching below the stands- the girl had a separate meet coming up on Sunday, so she was prepping for that. And, of course, Mercury was there, the boy's eyes drifting from his friend and landing upon Pyrrha. Even from the distance, she could feel the smirk on his lips, and she rolled her eyes.

_Why has he been so… _present _lately? _She just didn't understand. Nothing about her had changed, and yet, over the past month, the grey-haired boy had been more aggressive in his advances than ever before from the past two years.

_Am I acting differently, since meeting Jaune?_ Did she suddenly seem more vulnerable, or more approachable, thanks to the blond? She honestly didn't know. It was a little frightening, though, thinking of the possibilities. After all, how could the blond have had such a profound impact on her that Mercury was suddenly treating her differently?

She shook her head, trying to knock those thoughts out of her mind. There was no point stressing about it. She had sprints to finish.

And then, a flash of blond hair caught her eye. She paused where she was, nearly dropping her water bottle as she squinted, staring down the figure in the stands.

It was Jaune… wasn't it?

She cast a furtive glance to the giant digital clock ticking away on the ever-present scoreboard above the field. Why it was above the track, rather than the stadium, she'd never know- but she knew that there was still over half an hour before classes began on campus. Why would Jaune have come so early? Why would he even be there? The boy was just seated in the bleachers, watching the runners go, but it was too far to see his expression.

"Pyrrha, line up," Glynda called, watching the redhead sternly. Pyrrha bit her lip, glancing over uneasily at her coach. Everyone was watching her- she needed to go fall in.

As she moved towards the others, however, she could only watch as Mercury followed her gaze, landing on Jaune. In a few moments, the grey-haired boy stood, hopping up the steps in order to meet the blond. The two boys seemed to exchange words, and even from the field, Pyrrha could see Mercury gesturing towards the athletes- towards Pyrrha.

Then, the blond stood, grabbed his bag, and rushed out of the stands towards the exit. Mercury jogged back down, waving towards Pyrrha casually before meeting up with Emerald, where the runner was stretching still.

"Pyrrha, hurry up," Glynda commanded.

And before the redhead knew it, she jogged to the side, grabbed her belongings, slung them all clumsily over her shoulder, and bolted towards the exit, desperately chasing the blond, ignoring the confused cries from her coach and teammates. She _needed _to know what had happened.

Because, even if she couldn't _see _him clearly, the aura of hurt that had hung over Jaune before he left had been unmistakeable, and she'd be _damned _if she wasn't going to help him.


	19. Second

**Second**

Pyrrha's footsteps rang heavy through the air as she sprinted down Main Avenue, echoing along the empty campus. It was still too early to see anyone around, and in the silence that differed so much from the normally-bustling environment, the redhead felt utterly stifled, alone.

_Where is he?_

As she paused, taking a break to catch her breath and let her screaming muscles rest momentarily, she glanced around. The blond was nowhere in sight, though. With trembling fingers, she yanked her phone out and called Ruby, wrapping her arms around herself anxiously. "Ruby, pick up," she muttered, jogging down the road once she had recovered enough energy.

In a few moments, the younger girl's sleepy voice interrupted the dial tone. "Wha- Pyrrha, what is it?"

"Ruby!" Pyrrha cried, cursing the vulnerability in her voice, "Do you know where Jaune is?"

She heard the other girl yawn. "No, Pyrrha, it's like- 7 AM, why would I?"

"Ruby, do you know where he'd go?"

Ruby's voice grew more alarmed and alert as she murmured under her breath, "But he was supposed to go see you…"

"What?"

"Nothing! Pyrrha, did something happen?"

"No! No," the redhead fibbed. "I'm just… looking for him, that's all."

The younger hummed tiredly, yawning again. "Well, I dunno. I would text him, but…"

"But what?" _Come on, Ruby. Please message him. He'll listen to you, _she thought worriedly.

Ruby replied hesitantly, "Well… I think that you should talk. You haven't spoken all week, right? He's been super bummed about it. I think it's worse 'cause his sis is going through stuff too apparently, so there's a lot happening right now." She sighed, and Pyrrha could easily imagine the girl ruffling through her dishevelled bedhead in frustration. "He was really happy meeting you, y'know."

Pyrrha's heart shattered at those words. "…Message me if you hear from him?"

"Will do!" the girl chirped.

The moment she hung up the call, she had Nora's line ringing. In just a few moments, the exuberant girl picked up. She _never _called unless it was an emergency- knowing that the redhead was supposed to be at practice would put her roommate on high-alert. "Pyrrha, what's going on?!" Nora cried.

"Jaune came to the track during practice, and then he ran out, and I don't know what's going on." The words spilled out of Pyrrha's mouth desperately. If anyone would help her unconditionally, it was Nora.

That faith was earned. Rather than asking too many questions, Nora simply growled, "Did he do anything to hurt you?"

"No," the redhead breathed, turning off Main Avenue to make a detour into the creative writing department's main building. She jogged through the hall, but she no matter where she looked, there wasn't a blond head anywhere.

"Let me know if you need to hunt a man down. I totally will."

Despite her fear and worry, a smile broke free upon Pyrrha's face. "I know, Nora. Thanks."

"Keep me updated if you find him! I only got class at 10 today."

"Sounds good." And with that, Pyrrha finished scouring the building, running back out onto Main Avenue. From where she was currently, it would be easy to go check her favourite study spot- but why would Jaune go there if he wanted to avoid her?

Before she could doubt herself further, she hiked her bag farther up her shoulder and headed off to her department, ready to duck into the little forested area behind it. Once her heavy footfalls passed the gazebo, a blond head of hair came into view, leaning back onto the tree. When he heard her, though, the boy lurched upright, eyes wide and befuddled. "Pyrrha…?" He clambered to his feet, picking up his bag hastily. "What are you doing here?"

She dropped her bag, panting tiredly, leaning down. She wasn't used to endurance running, not like this- her sport specialized in sprints, after all. Stretching out the light stitch in her side, she walked up to him, unable to maintain her composure. "Jaune, I saw you run off- why were you at the track?" she gasped out, her nervousness making it even harder to catch her breath.

The boy stepped back, guilt and shame growing on his face. "Ruby told me you've been working really hard," Jaune mumbled, gripping his bag so tightly that his knuckles shone white. "I… wanted to visit you." Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out a small bag. "Brought snacks."

Her heart melted despite her riled-up state. "Oh, Jaune…" But she needed to stay focused. "Why did you leave, though? What happened?"

The boy ran his fingers fretfully through his hair, sighing. "That guy- Mercury? He told me."

"Told you what?!" she groaned, exasperated. "What would Mercury know about me?"

"More than me, I guess," Jaune muttered bitterly. "Why didn't you tell me?" The look of betrayal in his eyes was too much.

_What is he even talking about? _She wanted to cry, her eyes stinging with tears of frustration and confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about," she pleaded. "If I did something wrong, you need to know that I didn't mean it. But I don't know what I did in the first place!" When the boy didn't respond, continuing to avoid her gaze, she reached out, grabbing his hands. "Please, Jaune."

"Just… you didn't need to go that far."

It all sounded like nonsense to her. What was he talking about? What had Mercury told him? Why did he look like she had hurt him so irreparably?

She just didn't know.


	20. Tolerate

**Tolerate**

Jaune laughed, but the hurt in his voice was clear. "Saph told me that she met you. And, guess what? A few days later, she ends up talking to me about Cardin." His eyes shone, misted over in pain. "Why would you say anything?"

She just blinked at him. "But- but I _didn't-"_

"And just because I'm friends with Ruby doesn't mean you need to be friends with me, too," he barrelled over her attempt to protest. "Is it funny, watching the poor kid working so many jobs? Not all of us have a full ride, you know." His shoulders were trembling, voice growing more heated with every word. "You don't know what it's like."

"But I didn't say anything to her," Pyrrha mumbled weakly. She had wanted to, yes- but Saph's confrontation with him had absolutely nothing to do with Pyrrha.

Jaune wasn't listening. "And then that guy tells me that you're interested in someone else. It's pretty clear that he meant _him, _so-"

"What are you even talking about?" she cried. "This is so- Jaune, I _didn't-" _but all of her words were failing her. How could she explain it to him? There were so many confusing topics flying around, so many _assumptions, _and she couldn't keep track of them all. _But I _like _you, Jaune. I admire you. I've never thought anything bad of you- so how is Saph involved in this? How is Mercury involved in this? _

The boy held his hands up, walking away, leaving behind the little bag of goodies for Pyrrha. "Just… I'll… I'm gonna go." He shoved his hands into his pockets angrily. "I heard about that party this weekend. Go have fun." Before she could say anything else, he added, "And don't drop by the store. There're plenty of other convenience stores near here."

"But… you won't be there." But he was gone, and Pyrrha was left alone and in a daze.

That was how Pyrrha found herself back at the track, dropping her bag off to the side. The curious eyes of her teammates followed her, a few of the girls asking kindly if she was alright. Her state must've been clear on her face, however- Glynda pulled her aside in a heartbeat, clasping her shoulders and squeezing reassuringly. "Pyrrha, you can't leave practice like that randomly."

"I'm sorry. I won't do that again," she mumbled automatically, but her heart was so utterly lost that her usual earnestness was nowhere to be found.

Glynda understood immediately. "I'm not going to ask, Pyrrha. This isn't like you. Something's happening- head home for the day."

Instantly, her eyes snapped back to her coach. "But-"

"You won't be able to focus here until you figure out what's going on," the woman explained kindly. "Take care. We're almost at the last big meet- you need to do well then, okay? So take today to rest and recalibrate." There was no chance for the redhead to try and argue with Glynda's stern gaze, so Pyrrha simply sighed, nodded, and miserably picked up her belongings.

Thank the heavens that Nora was home. By the time Pyrrha had reached their building, it had begun to rain, and the distance between the tram and their front door was more than enough to ensure that Pyrrha was utterly soaked by the time she trudged into her room. Nora immediately tossed her a towel and her toiletries, forcing the girl into the shower. Numbly, Pyrrha responded, and soon, she was seated on her bed, hair in a towel, pyjamas on, cocoa in hand, staring blankly into space while Nora leaned upon her shoulder. "What happened?" Nora asked gingerly.

Pyrrha shrugged. "Honestly… I don't know."

"Did you do something?"

"I don't think so."

"Did he do something?"

"No."

"Does he _think _you did something?"

She winced. "Apparently."

Nora clicked her tongue. "'Kay." She sent a quick text. "I'm getting Ruby to investigate." The girl jumped to her feet. "I've gotta get to class, so I'll let you know if I find anything, okay?"

"Sure thing." But her heart wasn't into it, still so confused by the morning's events.

It was late afternoon when Pyrrha realized that she had been listlessly lurking in her room all day. Her friends in her classes had gladly sent her the notes she had missed, as by the time she realized what she had done, it was already too late to make running to class worthwhile. So, she pulled on a sweater, washed her face, and wandered out to the central hall to hit up the cafeteria.

Normally, there were booths for events and clubs in the central advising hall that housed the main office for all of the dormitories. RAs would use the side rooms for events, and groups on campus usually lurked by the doors of the cafeteria to advertise their causes to unsuspecting students as they came for mealtimes. Today, Sun was standing on the side, waving excitedly to Pyrrha when he saw her. The girl sighed, but gave the boy a wan smile anyways, approaching his table.

To her surprise, however, there was another familiar face standing by Sun's side. "Pyrrha, we meet again!" Saphron cried happily.

Pyrrha blinked at the older girl. "…Saph? What are you doing here?" Her heart stung a little, looking at the open girl.

"Oh, you know each other? Perfect!" Sun cheered. He quickly handed her a little personal invitation and an informational pamphlet. "Ruby connected me 'n Saph here, since I wanted to run an outreach event! Y'know, give back to the community and all that? So, since she's the new outreach coordinator for the local shelter, I thought I could get people to come volunteer for a few days with her help!"

Pyrrha frowned, gears in her brain slowly turning. "Wait… is that a new position?"

"Yup!" Saph grinned. Then, her eyes narrowed, expression melting into one of kind understanding. "Pyrrha, wanna talk?"

And before she could say anything, the girl wrapped an arm around Pyrrha's shoulder, waved to Sun, and guided Pyrrha away.


	21. Unique

**Unique**

"Congratulations," Pyrrha murmured at last. "That's… that's amazing."

"Thanks!" Saph beamed, taking a seat on nearby couches. "Well, I've known about it for a while, but I didn't want to say anything to jinx it. It's definitely going to be nice not volunteering during the night shift, though," she added wryly.

The redhead smiled weakly back. "Jaune said you were really passionate about what you do."

At the mention of her younger brother, Saph's expression grew more serious. "Hey… did Jaune tell you about my ex?"

Pyrrha nodded slowly. "Cardin, or something… right?"

Saph hummed sagely. "Yup, but did he tell you about how Cardin was…?"

The redhead sighed, nodding again. "I kept bothering him about why he was getting hurt, so he told me."

Saph leaned back heavily against the couch, pulling her knees up to her chest loosely. "Jaune's always been really overprotective of all of us, being the only boy and all," the girl began, "but he's also the clumsiest. I probably should've figured he was being dumb, sticking his nose into other peoples' business."

Pyrrha frowned, sitting upright. "But he was defending-"

"Me, I know. Needlessly, may I say? We have security!" The girl threw her hands up in the air, laughing. "He literally could've just told me, 'hey, your creepy ex who refuses to understand that you're actually _pretty _gay is lurking outside' and we could've sent Cardin away." As Pyrrha processed this new information, Saph added, "Well, what's done is done. I saw him for the first time this weekend. That guy won't bother me anymore, I don't think. Security knows him now, and my new work schedule helps. Terra's dropping me off from now on, too."

"Terra?"

Saph flashed her left hand, a thin silver band resting upon her ring finger. "Fiancée. She's gonna put a ring on it," the girl winked.

"Oh- congratulations, that's wonderful!" These words were far more genuine.

The blonde shifted, turning to face Pyrrha dead-on. "Hey, Pyrrha," she whispered low enough just so the redhead could barely hear, "did something happen between you and Jaune?"

"Why do you ask?" It was a struggle to keep her tone light, as if talking about the blond wasn't causing her heart to seize and her stomach to twist, the confusion from that morning rising up like bile in her throat once more.

Saph frowned, crossing her arms petulantly as she contemplated, "It's just, Terra brought him another box of cereal- with you on it, of course, Terra thinks it's oddly hilarious he's collecting them now-" Pyrrha blushed- was the boy really only buying boxes with her profile on it, now? She didn't know whether to be touched or amused- "-but he just looked _really _sad, especially after I scolded him about Cardin." Turning to the girl plaintively, Saph added, "Look. My brother's a good kid, but he's gullible and proud, too. What happened?"

She shook her head, wrapping her arms around one drawn-up knee. "I… I don't get it myself," Pyrrha admitted at last. "I think… I think he believes that I told you about your ex?"

Saph's jaw fell, mouth agape, brow raised in disbelief. "I saw him- and dealt with him- myself, though. Please don't tell me Jaune's pouting because of some stupid misunderstanding."

"I'm not sure he sees it that way," the redhead said glumly. "I think there's something else, too. I'm not entirely sure."

Saph patted her kindly on the shoulder. "Well, if you need me to smack some sense into him, I'm his older sister, so that's my job. I approve of you two, so-"

"What?!" Pyrrha cried at the sudden declaration.

Saph snorted, standing up and stretching. "Oh, don't play that game! You two are super cute." Softening, she added, "I'll tell him to not be so stubborn. He tends to get caught up by things in his head, and blows things out of proportion. He just needs to calm down and think about things." She clapped her hands decisively. "Yup. At least, I'm going to _make _him calm down." Winking at the girl, she added, "Like I'm going to let him drop _you _just because of some stupid misunderstanding." With that, the older girl walked back to Sun's booth, waving goodbye amicably to Pyrrha, leaving the redhead conflicted and bewildered and so, _so _torn. She wanted it all to be some misunderstanding. But how could she convince Jaune to talk it out?

She didn't know what to do.

Glynda knew something was up for the rest of the week, but she didn't press the issue. Thankfully, none of her teammates did either- seeing Jaune had convinced everyone that Pyrrha's rumoured first love had hit rocky waters, and they were all sympathetic. Even Velvet caught her sighing wistfully from time to time throughout their joint practice. "Whatever it is, Pyrrha, I'm sure it'll work out," she soothed. Pyrrha didn't share her confidence.

That Friday night after returning from practice, Nora tossed her a jacket the moment she exited the bathroom, freshly showered and dressed. Pyrrha played along, following the girl out- but when she realized where the orange-haired girl was taking her, she retreated within herself slightly. How was she supposed to react if she saw Jaune now?

Despite an entire walk's worth of silent fretting, Nora's jovial humming nowhere near enough to alleviate her stress, they didn't find who they were looking for. Instead, it was Tyrian they saw through the window. It was strange.

As they turned tail and headed back home, Nora snuggling next to Pyrrha when it began to rain to hide under the umbrella, Nora decided, "Well. Tomorrow's the party. Message him beforehand- if he comes, then we can call it a success?"

Pyrrha bit her lip anxiously. "…and if he doesn't?"

Nora gave her a quick hug. "Then we'll find you another cute blond, and you can move on knowing you tried."

The thought of simply _walking away, _though, was heartbreaking.


	22. Vertigo

**Vertigo**

"It's my fault," Ruby explained Saturday afternoon, pushing around her macaroni glumly, not even commenting on its toppings of breadcrumbs and extra cheese, just how she liked it. "I noticed something happened between you guys- he never talked about you after he said you weren't having lunch together anymore since you were busy, but he sounded like he wanted to see you so I thought… maybe he could come during practice?" Her eyes were wide, regretful, plaintive throughout her ramble. "I told him to. I didn't think anything bad would happen."

Pyrrha shook her head, smiling gently at the girl, who had found out about Jaune's Wednesday appearance through the grapevine. The boy wasn't responding to her, either. "Don't blame yourself, Ruby," the redhead said kindly, although her macaroni was being treated with about the same level of engagement as Ruby's.

"I hope you make up soon," the younger mumbled. "He thinks you're pretty cool, I promise."

"I'm sure Jaune will calm down eventually." But Pyrrha wasn't. Judging by the furtive looks Nora and Ren traded by her side, they knew it, too.

She was right. They cornered her in Ren's room after dinner under the pretense of giving her some study snacks, Nora closing the door behind them while Ren guided Pyrrha to take a seat on his one chair. "What is it, guys?" she muttered nervously.

Nora propped her hands on her hips. "Look, Pyrrha, you _need _to tell us what happened on Wednesday," she insisted firmly.

"It's clearly causing you distress," Ren added, his worry evident on his face.

The redhead sighed. "You're… not going to let me go until I tell you, huh?"

"Nope!"

"No."

She hung her head. They really were a perfect match- once they latched onto an idea, they'd ensure it succeeded at the expense of all else.

So, what else could she do? She explained the situation- Jaune's lack of a response to her messages last week, the situation with Saphron that resolved itself entirely without Pyrrha's involvement, Jaune's doubts after coming to her practice, and Mercury's mysterious meddling. "What did he even mean, saying that I already liked _Mercury? _I told him already, we're not friends!" she groaned at last, tipping the chair back tiredly.

Ren answered first. "Perhaps he thinks you weren't genuine," he said slowly. "Think about it. You work multiple jobs to make ends meet, your sister is stalked by an unsavoury individual, and then, you meet someone nice at work. They visit you a lot. You spend time together. But then, you find out that they're much more… traditionally successful than you." He shrugged. "Maybe he thinks that you pity him? Or that you hung out with him only because you live with Ruby, and you didn't want to insult her friend?"

"Or maybe," Nora murmured, appalled, "he thinks you were making fun of him for not being… like you?"

Pyrrha just gaped at the two, slack-jawed. Was that it? There was no way. She had never made any move to tease him- hell, she admired his work ethic! How could he feel that way?

_But everyone _calls_ me Miss Invincible. Everyone knows me. Maybe… maybe the titles got to him after all._

It was a harrowing thought. Ren clapped her on the shoulder as Nora guided her back home. "Think about it. Give him a call. He doesn't seem to be the brightest."

Nora hissed, "_Ren!_" but the boy merely shrugged again.

Nora dropped Pyrrha off in their room. "I'm going to go grab our costumes from the club room," she explained, leaving Pyrrha to the one, singular thought that had burrowed itself into her brain:

_I want to see him._

Before she could talk herself out of it, she called his number and brought the phone to her ear. However, the call went straight to the boy's voicemail, and she floundered until she heard the telltale _beep,_ signalling the start of her message. "Hey, Jaune. It's me- Pyrrha." Sigh. Nervous breath- unbecoming voice crack. "If I did something wrong, then I want you to know that I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Pause. Deep, staggering inhale.

"I'm not sure what happened, or what Mercury said. But… I want you to know that I'm proud to be your friend. I've never met someone so determined to take care of the people they love. It's so admirable. And I know that you'll do great things."

Shuddering exhale. "Jaune…" she whispered, "I-I…"

_I love him. _

The realization struck her like a sack of bricks. She didn't know if the word was right- 'love' was such a heavy concept, after all- but Jaune had carved a special place in her heart, more than anyone truly had the right to.

"I want you to know that I'm just happy to have been a part of your life. I'll always be here for you, Jaune." One final, deep breath. She added, "It's been a lot fun. I really like hanging out with you. So, if you want, I'll be at the party tonight. I'm going with Nora, but… it would be _wonderful_ to see you." She hung up, dropping her phone on the bed.

And so, it was done. She had given it her best shot. _Please respond, Jaune. _

As she waited for a response, she sat out in the lounge, watching people zip back and forth throughout their floor. The air was ablaze, everyone's excitement for the night's festivities rising. The pre-drinks likely helped, too, as people popped in and out of the lounge to take shots from the communal stash in preparation for putting on the flimsy outfits that the party's theme invited.

Finally, Nora was back, costumes prepped and makeup supplied. Ren had already hid himself away, stacks of unmarked midterms surrounding him, the boy's grimace betraying his own personal hell. They wished him luck, then headed to their own room.

"Nora, I _can't _wear this," Pyrrha pleaded, looking at the scant material spread across her bed, face red and flustered. It was all just a mess of green, vines, and were those _fishnets? _"I- I can't. I'm sorry."

"Nope. No buts. You've worn less for track," Nora commanded, standing her ground authoritatively. "Your hair is the perfect colour for this character. You'll look, like, _super _hot."

_But… I don't care how I look. I'm not trying to impress anyone. _

_Unless Jaune comes, _a little part of her whispered. She ignored it. What were the chances that her message would actually reach him?

Nora grinned. "Just _trust me."_

So, regrettably, Pyrrha did, slipping out of her comfortable sweatpants in exchange for sheer, shimmering green silk and suede. It was going to be a long, cold night.


	23. Wistful

**Wistful**

If it weren't for Nora's vice-like grip on her arm, Pyrrha would have turned tail the moment that they arrived on the block. Neon's house was… well, _neon, _lighting up an otherwise-peaceful, affluent street. People were cheering and hanging out on the front lawn, and they could see dozens of bodies behind large windows even from down the street.

Her first steps into the party were met by wolf-whistles and cheers from her friends, and immediately, she wanted to head home. "Pyrrha, you look _amazing!" _Neon gushed excitedly, ushering the two girls in while she balanced her Harley Quinn-style hammer over her shoulder. The redhead smiled weakly in response as she hung up her coat, feeling utterly exposed in her thin outfit. While the theme Neon had provided gave everyone _more _than enough leeway to find a unique costume, due to the recent release of a new _Batman _film, the majority of partygoers present were in related costumes- thus, Nora's costume for Pyrrha was Poison Ivy, complete with a short wrap skirt, vine-laced fishnets, tall velvet green boots, fingerless, elbow-length gloves, and a leafy green top.

She felt highly uncomfortable. Who was Poison Ivy, anyway?

Glancing around, numerous familiar faces popped out of the crowd. Nora immediately ran off to the kitchen, zooming through the crowd in her oddly-pink Batgirl costume to see what sort of snacks the hostess was offering. Seated by the comfortable lounge chairs was Blake, lying down languidly in a Catwoman costume, showing her wares to a group of delighted potential buyers. Just past the dark-haired girl, Weiss, Coco, Velvet, Fox and Yatsuhashi were playing pool, each dressed in costumes of characters Pyrrha would be hard-pressed to recognize.

Pyrrha sighed, wrapping an arm around herself as she stepped through the house. Yang was drawing eyes left and right with a yellow jumpsuit and katana from the _Kill Bill _franchise, but her sword was laid by the wayside as Sun, dressed in a bright orange gi as Goku, insisted on an arm-wrestling match. Neptune watched from the sidelines, hair slicked back and dressed primly in a James Bond-esque suit and tie. "This is why you don't get chicks, man!" Neptune kept slurring, shaking his cup at the blond, who paid him no mind.

On their other side, Roman stomped down the stairs, throwing his hands up exasperatedly. "Lookie here, _Red,_" he hissed, pointing an accusatory finger up the stairs, "stop _following me!_"

Ruby skipped down, clearly dressed as Little Red Riding Hood with a basket of cookies on her arm. Munching down on one nonchalantly, she replied, "But you're not _dressed as anything,"_ she whined, dodging when the boy hurled a nearby cushion at her.

"It's called _Clockwork Orange, _you uncultured brat!" And he huffed and stamped his feet out towards the patio. Pyrrha raised a brow, catching Ruby's eye. The younger girl merely stuck her tongue out mischievously and jogged after the boy, continuing her façade of ignorance to annoy him.

Suddenly, a bang from behind caught everyone's attention, and the DJ in the corner paused the music. Neo strutted into the center of the living room, dressed suspiciously similar to Neon. Pyrrha leaned back against a wall near the drinks, picking out a can of cider for herself as she watched the hostess herself get up into the quiet girl's face. Neon cried, "Look, girl, one of us is going to have to change. And since _my _costume's way better, that'll be _you._"

But Neo simply grinned and shrugged, continuing on her merry way towards the patio and backyard pool. Flustered and enraged by getting ignored, Neon skittered after her, pouting and complaining at the top of her lungs.

Taking a sip of cider, she nearly choked when a voice murmured in her ear, "So, you came alone after all, Pyrrha?"

Coughing, she pivoted away from Mercury, who had snuck up next to her. She had no idea who he was supposed to be, although his costume seemed less like fantastical and more like some high school uniform- either way, though, she wanted him gone. She didn't have the energy to deal with him.

"Mercury, stop bothering me," she murmured, heading to the kitchen to find Nora.

Before she could leave, though, the boy grabbed her arm, pulling her in close. "Don't say that," he groaned, leaning towards her. She could smell the alcohol on his breath, so she rolled her eyes and pushed him away anyways. He pouted, but fell in step with her, asking, "Why do you always have to be so uptight? It's not like your little boyfriend is here-"

"Back _off, _Mercury," she finally commanded, spinning around. Drawing herself up to her full height in her heeled boots, she nearly towered over him. "I don't know what your issue is, or what you said to Jaune, but I'm _not interested, _okay? I never have been, so _stop."_

His face twisted into a light sneer. "I see how it is," he hissed. Stepping uncomfortably close, he muttered, "Little Miss Invincible Girl is too good for me, is that it?" For a moment, he glared at her, and in the back of her mind, all Pyrrha could think was _Run. He's drunk. You don't trust him anyways- you can't let him take advantage of you. Get away._

Those thoughts had a chilling effect on her. She pushed him away suddenly, forcing the boy to stumble back onto the ground. Thankfully, he was disoriented enough that he wasn't able to recover quickly. He snarled, but she held firm. "Stop talking to me, Mercury."

"Fine. Be like that," he drawled, stumbling back to his feet. Grabbing a nearby bottle, he popped off the cap with one of his many rings, taking a swig of beer. "Don't come crying to me when you're lonely, Nikos."

Pyrrha didn't stay to give him an answer. Instead, she fled outside, only stopping to breathe once she was alone on a side porch. She slid to a seat on the steps, taking a swig of her drink tiredly. "What am I even doing here," she mumbled.

She wanted to go home. _Sorry, Nora. I might head back after all._

Suddenly, a hand fell on her shoulder. She shrugged it off, glowering. "Mercury, I swear-"

"Um, I'm not Mercury," the boy replied. And he wasn't- instead, pulling off a mask covering his eyes and holding it in his hands sheepishly, was Jaune. "Is that okay?"

And her heart both broke and melted, because she had wanted to be there with _him_\- but, with their distance, she didn't know if she ever could be.


	24. Xylographs

**Xylographs **

She softened. "I thought you were working tonight."

"I took the weekend off. Went costume shopping last night."

"Ah." After a moment of silence, she asked, "So, who're you supposed to be?"

The boy pointed to his left breast, the golden-emblazoned R catching the dim porchlight. "I'm Robin," he explained, a little mournful. "I wanted to be Batman, but I couldn't really pull it off."

She wanted to laugh, but… could she? She didn't know how to deal with this aftermath of Wednesday's encounter.

Still, it was _Jaune, _and his very presence set her heart on fire in ways no one else could. "Why's that?" She patted the ground, gesturing for Jaune to join her. He smiled gently, then complied, resting his elbows on his knees and hunching over.

"Well," he began wearily, as if setting up a grand story, "once upon a time, I thought I could pull off being Batman. I'm edgy! I'm tough!" She snorted behind her hand, and he waved away her doubts dismissively, still lost in his angst-ridden tale. "Unfortunately, I realized that although I could easily find the costume, I could never… _become _the costume."

"How so?" It was growing more and more difficult to keep a smirk off of her lips.

With all the grace and distress of a world-class actor, the boy fell back, splaying out dramatically on the steps behind him. "I just couldn't do the voice!"

Pyrrha couldn't help it- she laughed aloud at the blond's ridiculous pose, his blond hair peeking out from underneath the black hood. "It couldn't have been _that _bad," she teased.

He coughed, cleared his throat, and in a painfully-bad, husky voice, he murmured darkly, "I am Batman. I am the night. I am the darkness' worst fears come to life. My parents are dead." And then, he lurched upright, clutching his stomach and giggling fiercely. "I can't," he gasped in his normal register, "I just can't."

She chuckled, consoling him with a smile. "I, for one, haven't ever actually _seen _any Batman movies, so you're the best one in my book!" she beamed gently.

The boy sat upright, readjusting his hood and mask after wiping a mirthful tear from his eye. "Wait," he snorted, "does that mean you don't even know you who are?"

She shrugged. "Nora got the costume, told me how to wear it, and I listened. We do this every year."

Jaune gawped at her. "But you- you- you look amazing! It suits you perfectly. Your hair, the colour… The extra leaves are a nice touch. Seriously though, how do you not know who Poison Ivy is?"

She blushed, thankful for the dim lighting. "Well…" She glanced down, tugging the short wrap-around skirt farther down her vine-covered thighs. "I'm not really into superheroes normally? And thank you, I guess. It's a little chilly in this, though. Not very practical."

"I bet," the boy chuckled. Soon, Pyrrha felt a wash of warmth over her. Glancing up, she saw a very red-faced Robin, his cape draped across her shoulders. She beamed at him, tugging the cape around her. The vinyl wasn't very insulating, but it was a sweet gesture nonetheless.

Jaune sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I'm… not gonna get in trouble with your date for doing that, right?"

And at that, Pyrrha's face coloured, and she glanced down in shame. "…no one asked me."

He frowned. "But, what about that guy? Y'know, Mercury, or whatever?" He jabbed his thumb back at the door, where within the party continued to rage on. "I saw him inside when I peeked in. I would've thought-"

"Why would I go with _him, _Jaune?" she asked, pivoting to stare him down, utterly confused. "You do remember that he's _not _my friend, right?"

The blond shrunk back a bit. "Well, yes," he mumbled, "but he said… I don't know. You're _Pyrrha Nikos, _right? Guys must fall over themselves for you."

_'Pyrrha Nikos' doesn't mean anything. I'm just… me._

She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. A car drove by, its headlights blinding her momentarily, blending in with the glowing streetlights around them. Its engine pulsed at the same tempo as the dance music reverberating through the structure behind her, like one long lucid dream. It felt disorienting… and felt empowering.

"…wanted to go with you."

"What was that?" Jaune asked, leaning closer.

She cleared her throat, embarrassed. "I wanted to go with you." She then buried her face against her knees. _It's done._

Jaune didn't respond. After a few minutes of silence from the boy, she dared to take a look. The blond's eyes were wide, transfixed on her figure, mouth hanging slightly agape in astonishment. She started for a moment, then shrunk back- what could she possibly say?

However, a moment passed, and something seemed to click in Jaune. His blue eyes sudden lit up, cheeks reddening profusely, and he stammered out, "W-w-wait. Hold up. Me?"

Mutely, she nodded.

"But- but- but-" and then, he hunched over, chuckling almost manically. "Oh my god, Ruby wasn't kidding. Oh my god." When he finally looked at her again, his expression was so open and sincere that she wanted to cry. "She told me that you- that I wasn't crazy, that you- oh my god." He looked utterly amazed.

She stood up, feeling shame well up within her. "I get it. You don't need to laugh," she whispered, passing him his cape. Instantly, she shivered, turning back to the door. "I'm heading back home."

"Wait!" The boy reached up, grabbing her hand. "I'll go with you."

_Don't do this, Jaune. Don't get my hopes up. _She drew in a shaky breath. "Why?" she muttered bitterly. "Go enjoy the party."

"But," the boy insisted, pulling her hand gently so that she looked him in the eyes, revealing all of his embarrassed, earnest sincerity, "I... got your message. Saph knocked some sense into me. Ruby told me to take work off this weekend. And... I'm sorry I freaked out. I shouldn't have." Voice catching in his throat, he added, "I came here for _you-" _He paused, ashamed, "-if you'll have me."

She stared at him, stupefied. "You… wanted to ask me?"

He shrugged, laughing awkwardly. "I guess we're both bad at this."

Her heart felt so full, it was about to burst. _Jaune's okay with _me.

For the first time, she didn't regret going to the party.


	25. Youth

**Youth**

There were no words exchanged, no planning to be done- they simply traded glances, smiled, nodded, and grabbed their coats. Sending a quick text to Nora, Pyrrha met up with Jaune at the door, and the two of them headed out into the night.

The sky was surprisingly clear, the stars twinkling whenever they found themselves in periods of darkness. Thankfully, since Neon lived in a fairly affluent neighbourhood, the streets were well-lit and they didn't need to worry about shady strangers. On the bus, Jaune showed her a text from Ruby, saying that the girl had convinced Sun to let the boy crash in their lounge for the night, despite it being against protocol. So, the two of them headed back to campus, ignoring all the strange looks they received from passersby.

Pyrrha was thankful that she was in costume. The pale makeup hid her blush as the boy reached out a hand, gently intertwining his fingers with hers between their seats.

When the bus finally rolled into the campus' bus loop, the duo paused for just a moment. They both looked towards the direction of the dorms, then shook their heads. "It's such a lovely night," Pyrrha reasoned.

"It really is," Jaune replied, squeezing her hand tight.

So, the two of them wandered in the opposite direction. Neither spoke, but they both knew exactly where they were going.

Soon, they found themselves in the little quad behind Pyrrha's classes, taking a seat underneath the oak tree. It was completely empty, lit up by only the light of the moon, the stars, and the faint glow of a streetlight from around the corner of the nearest building. With an overdramatic flourish, Jaune lay his jacket down so they could sit on it. Pyrrha curtsied mockingly before taking a seat, but her laugh was genuine.

"I'm sorry I didn't respond to your messages. I just... didn't know how."

"Don't ghost me again, okay?"

"Hm. Promise."

It was quiet.

"You know," the blond murmured at last, "I didn't think you were serious about it."

"About what?"

He sighed. "Any of it. I mean, you're you, and I'm…" He sighed again, slumping over slightly, even more disheartened. "…well, I'm me."

"Jaune," she trailed off, but the blond continued forward.

"Pyrrha, you don't get it," he murmured. "Like, you're… you're beautiful! And smart, and funny, and nice and- and you're kind of amazing. When I watched you on the track that day, I sort of…"

She exhaled heavily. She didn't want to think about- god, had it only been a few days earlier?

"…I was jealous, okay?" He leaned back against the tree, removing his Robin mask and dropping it wearily to the side. "You… I guess when I first met you, you seemed so _normal. _But then, Ruby and everyone kept telling me about this amazing athlete, and then it turned out to be you… They kept telling me about your full-ride, and how you're so put together, but how you work so hard and are still so humble… it just… all didn't seem to be you. All you ever did was buy cereal and chocolates for your friends when they were high. That isn't exactly what a pro-athlete does."

She snorted softly. "I'm pretty glad Ruby decided to give Blake's offer a chance, though," she mused. "Ruby refused for years. She had such a complex about being younger than all of us, about skipping grades to come here with Yang- so she always tried to be as well-behaved as possible."

"Ah," Jaune mumbled, "so you're glad she's loosened up now?"

"Well, that, and…" she reached out for his hand once more, lacing their fingers together. "I got to meet you because of it, didn't I?"

"Yeah." But the boy's laugh was a little self-deprecating. Even in the wan light, she could make out the bitterness in his eyes. "A lot of good that did you-" She suddenly smacked him lightly on the shoulder, eliciting a small yelp from him. "What was that for?"

"Jaune," she explained, "why do you think I kept coming back there?"

He shrugged. "Nora, I assumed? Honestly, I thought that you were just messing with me for the longest time."

"Oh, Jaune." She turned onto her knees, facing him head-on. He straightened up a little, confused. She covered the back of their interlaced hands with her other one, imploring, "Don't say that. You don't have any idea, do you?" When he didn't respond, utterly baffled by her sudden transparency, she continued, "I went back there because I wanted to see _you. _The only thing Nora ever did was make sure that I had the courage to. You… you may not be in the same boat as me, but I really, _truly _admire you, Jaune. You work so hard! You're so good to your family! And you treat me like I'm normal. No one else usually does, so when you… it was _perfect, _with you_._ Why wouldn't I want to spend time with you?"

He stared at her blankly for a moment, searching for the words. Finally, he whispered, "So… it wasn't just to get free cereal and chocolate?"

"I paid for it mostly!" she scoffed, and the two broke down into laughter. Finally, they settled into easy familiarity, and she leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his shoulder. "I'm serious, Jaune. I know that I'm… a little clumsy off the field, but… I think I really like you."

The blond merely wrapped his free hand around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest, and she felt the light press of his lips onto her hair. "Me too," he mumbled. And his movements as he shifted so he could hold her properly were clumsy, and his hands were sweaty, and in a stark moment of realization, Pyrrha realized that they were still wearing their ridiculous party costumes. But it was okay.

"Can we… try and be a thing?"

"I'd like that. Team Nikos- Nikarc- Arkos. Arkos. Neat."

She had no idea what he was talking about. She didn't mind. "That sounds grand."

In his arms, all of Pyrrha's doubts faded away.


	26. Zero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the end! Let me know what you think :D

**Zero**

And so, they started from scratch. They hugged, and promised to see each other the next week in Pyrrha's favourite study spot. Her busy season was going to end soon, and she needed to focus on her classes while she could so that her final few meets went well. She also made him promise to not distract her, though- the second round of midterms would be upon her soon, and she needed to focus. He laughed, and nodded, and promised firmly to sit on the opposite side of the oak tree, should he be tempted to steal her attention.

He didn't follow through. Pyrrha didn't mind, though. The next week, he began to sit closer and closer, and by the time Nora walked in on Thursday after a huge technical rehearsal for her theatre club's upcoming performance, Pyrrha was leaning her head on Jaune's shoulder as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The orange-haired girl immediately squealed, calling Ren to loudly announce the fact that they were "finally gonna get to go on double dates, Pyrrha isn't going to be alone anymore, and oh my _god _we can go to that all-you-can-eat place that needs four people minimum now _whenever we want_!"

Ren's quiet, fairly unenthused, "Yay," audible from the other end sent the redhead and the blond into a fit of giggles, and just like that, Jaune was accepted fully into their inner circle.

Mercury was taken care of- at least, that's the nicest way Pyrrha could put it. In what felt like an oddly-neat way to get him off her back, she told Nora everything. One thing led to another, and suddenly, Neo's Harley Quinn mallet was stashed under Nora's bed for a few days, and Mercury was limping away from them for weeks after. Pyrrha didn't approve of her methods, but there was a part of her that relished in the bitter fear that flashed in his eyes whenever their paths crossed.

That following weekend was another competition. A number of their housemates had come out to support those on varsity teams, cheering despite the chilly weather. "It's too cold to play _Werewolf _outside this week," Ruby explained as she wrapped herself up in a red, cloak-like blanket that morning when everyone headed out with the athletes to the field. However, there was something mischievous about the smile the younger girl shared with her older sister and friends, something that Pyrrha just couldn't place.

Their scheme was quickly unveiled once the competition started. Seated beside the younger girl was Jaune, the blond boy bundled up to his ears in warm clothes. Pyrrha flushed, waving shyly at him as she took her place on the sidelines with her team. He waved back wildly, inciting a chorus of cheers and hollers from her friends, who were more than happy to see their Invincible Girl supported by her first true crush.

And when Pyrrha finally took her place on the running line, javelin in hand, she had to pause momentarily before running- before she could go, she needed to calm herself down, the laughter wracking her body nearly bringing her to tears. In the stands, Jaune had stood up, holding up a sign with her name on it. It was decorated like the chocolate bar she always bought from him.

_He still doesn't know I haven't ever even tried it, let alone _like _it… oh goodness._

Velvet destroyed her opponents in the long jump, the quiet girl beaming at her teammates when the final scores were announced. She was just one of many Beacon athletes who competed admirably that day. And, of course, Pyrrha demolished her opponents, all of her confidence and strength back now that she knew that the blond was unconditionally by her side. She even managed to set a new personal record, much to everyone's surprise and awe.

After the awards ceremony, Glynda patted the girl on the back. "So, all of the distraction over the past few weeks really has been because of that boy, huh?"

Pyrrha immediately backpedalled, trying to come up with an excuse for the blond's presence- but the woman merely smiled, uncharacteristically gentle. "If he hurts you, you know, the girls will gladly take him down," she said, oddly sweet despite the foreboding connotation of her words.

The redhead chuckled before her meaning dawned on her. "I… I think Jaune will be fine," she giggled. "No need to worry."

"Jaune, huh? Nice job." And the woman sent her a wink that lit a fire in her cheeks, the mortified girl covering her face in her hands and hunching over in a corner while her coach merely walked away, laughing airily.

That evening, after her team had grabbed a few drinks to celebrate and the festivities had carried them to a nearby bar, Pyrrha finally managed to sneak away. Running back to her room, she packed two bowls, two spoons, some of the chocolate (still woefully uneaten), and her wallet into her bag, then jogged off into the night.

Jaune was surprised to see her. "Shouldn't you be out celebrating?" he puzzled. "Ruby said everyone was going out-"

"I am celebrating," she called playfully, wandering to the back of the store. Grabbing a _Pumpkin Pete's _box and a small carton of milk, she brought it to the front, letting the blond scan them quickly. After paying, she asked, "When's your break?"

He shrugged, confused. "Whenever I want, basically."

"Cool." Wandering over to the front, she turned the shop's sign to show he was off for the next thirty minutes. Opening up her bag, she pulled out the bowls and set about making them a late snack. Then, she hopped onto the counter, sitting cross-legged despite his protests, and handed him a bowl.

After a few moments of quiet crunching, he murmured, "…Why are we eating cereal?"

"I think I've earned it, right?"

He frowned. "But… isn't this really bad for you?"

She shrugged, smiling gently. She took a little nibble of a chocolate bar too, indulging in the rich flavour, just to make her point. "I figured it would be okay to cheat calories a little for our first date."

The blond's face reddened so much he almost fainted, and all Pyrrha could do was laugh and enjoy the sweetness. And when he walked her back to the dorms after his shift, their goodbye kiss under the yellow-tinted entryway light tasted like marshmallows and milk and chocolate, and she wouldn't want it any other way.

** _-fin-_ **


	27. Question for Readers

Hello all!

So, weird update: I've had a ton of ideas for university-AU fics within the universe I built in _Thrown to the Wind. _I wanted to ask the readers of this fic- would you all be updated in seeing more stories (oneshots and longer pieces) set within this universe with a similar writing style, exploring the relationships and the characters built within this fic?

Let me know! Cheers for reading, and thanks for all the support, as usual :D

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!


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